


Shadowed Hearts

by orphan_account



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Angst, Assassination, Blood and Violence, Gen, I wrote this a long time ago please excuse any spelling/grammar errors thanks, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Not Beta Read, and it was never meant to be, considering it was my very very first it's rather dark wow, this is not a happy fic ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-02 15:43:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17266880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Mira doesn't really mean to be a bad person, it just sort of... happens. She was locked up most of her life in a place called Asylum. There, they trained children to become assassins, with the goal of being strong enough to overcome the Zoldycks in a fight. All of them. At once.It backfires. In a very big, bloody way.





	Shadowed Hearts

"No! Please! Don't do this!" My mother screams at me, her hands soaked with my father's blood. He is lying on the floor of our kitchen. In his chest is a gaping hole, where I ripped out his heart. I could have done it cleanly, without even a speck of blood, but after what my parents have done to me, their deaths deserve to be bloody.

"Why not?" I ask my mother with a sadistic grin on my face. Ah, this is the feeling. It's the best – the strength that courses though my veins like liquid fire as I stand over a trembling body. "You knew this would happen the minute you sent me to Asylum. You deserve what you get."

"I'm your mother, your flesh and blood! How could you do this? You monster!"

My smile gets even wider, if that's possible. "Yes, mother." I say mockingly, and laugh. "I'm a monster. And you made me this way."

Without further ado, I take the dagger that as a second ago secured to my waistline, and slit her throat.

 

* * *

 

I'm an idiot. I just left everything at my house, not thinking to grab anything. I don't have any money, so I'll have to steal some clothes. I stop by a store and grab some supplies. No one even tries to stop me. How dull. I eat something (might be smart) and change from my bloody clothes (I'm not fond of strange looks) and begin to wander the plaza.

By this time I'm bored, and a bored me is a me that a lot of people don't like. I am just contemplating the question of what to do when I see a strange looking red-haired man wearing a magician's costume. He is letting out an insane amount of bloodlust, looking at a little girl eagerly. I use Zetsu to hide my presence, and sneak up behind him, tapping him on the shoulder.

The strange man spins around and lashes out at me, throwing three cards in quick succession in my direction. I catch two easily, and quickly deflect the third, sending it back to him. He gives me a very surprised look – apparently no one has done this before – and swipes the card out of the air. He walks over to me, a strange glint in his eye. I don't like it.

"Hello, my name is Hisoka. Who might you be?"

"Just passing though," I reply, making sure to make my face emotionless. "I saw you looking at that girl. I would suggest not doing whatever you were planning on doing, because anyone could feel that amount of bloodlust."

Hisoka looks surprised again. "You know of bloodlust?" He looks deep in thought. "And of Nen? Do you know Nen?" He shakes his head, motioning for me not to answer his question. "Of course you do," He continues. "I couldn't feel your approach – flawless Zetsu. You must be powerful... a worthy opponent..." He strains off, and licks his lips in a perverted way, looking at me with that glint in his eye again.

"Are you going to the Hunter Exam?" He asks me.

"No." I say. "What's that?"

An odd smile forms on Hisoka's face. "Come with me," he says. "If you're up to the challenge."

I shrug. Boredom, or weird test that I know nothing about that I would take with a weird perverted guy, who would probably kill me the second he got the chance?

"Lead the way," I say.

Hisoka brings me to a restaurant. I mentally roll my eyes, but figure that it's more than it looks. Hisoka walks to the front counter and speaks to the man – "We will both have the steak combo that opens your eyes to the light."

"For two?" The man asks. Hisoka nods, and the man says, "How would you like them cooked?"

"Grilled over a low flame until cooked." Hisoka replies.

The man behind the counter looks at me with concerned eyes. "She'll be fine," Hisoka assures him, and the man ushers us to a back room.

 

* * *

 

We walk through the door. We each receive a tag – Hisoka, number 44, and me, number 45. Hisoka looks at me, and begins to speak. "You should be fine on your own," He says. "I would like to fight you someday."

I shrug, my hands in my pockets. "Okay," I reply simply, and walk away.

It has not been five minutes before I hear a scream. I look over to see a man whose arms are disintegrating rapidly. Hisoka looks at him and smirks.

"Oh, how peculiar," Hisoka says, looking at the man. "His arms seem to have become flower petals. No smoke and mirrors here." He full out grins. "Do take care. When you bump into someone, you really should apologize." Without another word, he walks away. Oh, Hisoka. He really needs to work out some of his anger issues. And making a scene like that? Tsk tsk.

I turn away from the scene and another man walks up to me. Why can't these people just leave me alone? He is old and fat; enough said. What? I judge people.

"Hi," He announces himself. "My name is Tompa. What is yours?" I grunt in response, but he is not to be deterred. He points out a couple of other people in the room, but I zone out, waiting for him to go away. "Are you thirsty?" Tompa is still talking to me. "You must be, after your journey here. You can have one of these." He holds out a can. It's either juice or soda, but I can't tell which, because there is a strange smell. Slight, but unmistakably there. He must have put something in it, I conclude. Non-lethal, most likely. He doesn't seem like a person who would kill someone to gain an advantage – in the beginning, at least. So, something that would incapacitate the competition but not permanently damage anything... laxative? That's boring.

I take the can with a smile on my face. Why not? I'm bored anyway. Laxatives have never been effective on me anyway, might as well freak him out. Plus, I am kinda thirsty.

"Thank you, sir," I say politely, the first words I've said to this annoyance. I open the drink and down it in a few gulps, and I can see his eyes widening. "Ah, that's good," I say to him, making sure to keep my voice light and happy, and my face carefree. "Do you happen to have any more?"

""Um, yes," He says nervously. Ha, somebody's worried that he's going to seriously harm someone. After a few more cans, each one causing Tompa's eyes to grow wider, I give him my biggest smile.

"Thank you so much, sir. You've been the nicest to me so far. I can tell we're gonna be friends." Tompa gulps, probably thoroughly freaked out by now. I wave, and skip away, laughing quietly to myself.

A strange silver-haired boy is leaning against the wall looking directly at me. His hands are in his pockets and he's carrying a skateboard – and he's looking at me with surprise. Why is everyone so surprised? He looks the same age as me. I wink at him, and motion with my eyes to Tompa, who is now walking toward him. I hope he hears my unspoken comment: let's mess with him.

Apparently, he does, because soon he does the same thing I was doing, completely downing the cans. I hope he was smart enough to realize it was contaminated, and also won't be affected. Otherwise, one less opponent, right?

I wander over to one of the corners in the room. I can't remember the last time I slept. Maybe not a good sign. I briefly consider this, then promptly fall asleep.

 

* * *

 

A voice wakes me up from my slumber. A tall man with purple hair is talking. Something about phases and following and eliminations? Still groggy from my short nap, I just decide to do what everyone else is doing, and follow him.

A few minutes pass. Or maybe hours, I'm bad with times. Everyone is running now, but it's not like it's a difficult pace. I'm terrible at running, according to the scientists at Asylum. They always said I was the worst there. I don't know how much is true, because I never saw any of the other kids. It didn't matter how well I had thought  I did - I was never able to win their approval. After a while, I stopped trying.

Multiple people have dropped out already. How? I ask myself. It's not tough. This is easy. Even so, I slow down my pace a notch so I don't seem cocky. I don't know how long we'll be running and I don't want to tire myself out.

I see the strange silver-haired boy again, now riding his skateboard. Someone yells at him, saying that it's cheating, and I feel like defending him, but I don't know the rules to begin with, so...

Thankfully, another boy steps in, arguing with the guy. What's up with all these boys? Where are the girls? Am I the only one? That would suck.

I jog over to the silver-haired boy, who has now jumped off his skateboard and is running with the rest of us. The boy who defended him sees me and immediately introduces himself.

"Hi, I'm Gon." He says. "How old are you?"

"Twelve," I say unsurely. Why does he want to know?

"Oh, you're the same age as Kil and I!" Gon says with an ecstatic look. That's all he wanted. Ah, the purity of youth. Wait, he's the same age as me... "Come meet my friends!" Gon is saying.

"Okay," I shrug. We both run over to the group. Gon points to his friends one at a time. "That's Killua," He points at the silver-haired boy, "Kurapika," a boy with a weird outfit and a girly haircut, "and Leorio," a guy who looks old but is probably younger.

I wave. "Hi. I'm Mira."

"Great! Now we can all be friends!" Gon says. I smile... he's so cute and naïve.

"So why are you in the Hunter's Exam?" Gon asks. Killua looks up, obviously interested. Kurapika looks at me from the corner of his eye, and I'm pretty Leorio is just trying not to die.

I shrug. I've been doing that a lot, I've noticed. "Bored." I say. "I didn't even know it existed. I... didn't get out much." Understatement of the century, considering I was locked up in a place where mentally unstable scientists use unwanted kids to experiment on. "So I ran away." Ha. I broke out. "I had to beat up my parents a bit," I don't know why I added that. Impulse. "Then I happened to bump into red head magician dude, and he brought me here."

Gon gasps. "Hisoka?!" I nod.

Killua looks at me strangely, as if he knows that there's more to my story. I'm not worried, though, because how could he? Even if he did, I wouldn't care about what he thought. It's not like I murdered my parents or anything. Oh, crap. Isn't that illegal?

"Hey, what can you do with a Hunter's License?" I ask them.

Kurapika is the one who replies. "You can sell them. You can access the Hunter website. You can bypass certain laws."

I feel my heart spike. "Laws like what?"

"If you kill someone." Killua speaks up. I can feel my relief, and I think for a second that it shows on my face, but I try to remain nonchalant.

"Oh. Okay." Yep, I can tell from the look on Killua's face that I let something slip. Damn.

We run in silence for a while, before Gon proposes a race.

"Whoever loses buys the winner dinner!" He says excitedly.

Killua agrees, and I jump in, saying, "Can I join?" Gon nods and Killua looks at me with a funny expression on his face, but doesn't protest. Before he can blink, Gon and I are off.

 

* * *

 

I speed ahead, enjoying the feeling of running without a purpose, opposed to being told how fast and how far to run. The feeling of the wind in my hair makes me laugh, and I get this bubbly happy feeling. I grin, and run faster.

It hasn't been long before I can see the exit right in front of me. I'm not sure what happened to Gon and Killua – I passed them a while ago. As for Kurapika and Leorio, I'm not concerned. When I left Leorio looked like he was struggling, but he looked stubborn. Even if he fails, I don't like him anyway.

I run through the exit with a smile that feels like it's spitting my face in half. Weird purple-haired guy looks at me with surprise. I guess I was the first one through, because I don't see anyone else. That's odd – I really didn't feel like I was going fast at all.

Minutes later (I think) Gon and Killua both come rushing trough. They start to argue about who won the race but can't decide, so the turn to purple-haired guy. He looks at them in amusement, then points at me. Apparently they hadn't seen me yet, so when they turn around, disbelief is written all over their faces. I giggle to myself.

"Wow," Killua says. "I thought we had lost you back there."

Gon cries out in dismay. "What?" I ask him.

"Now what?" He asks me. "We can't both buy you dinner!"

I smile. "Why not? I eat a lot. Food is good. Killua can buy me my first meal, and Gon, you can buy my second. Easy."

Killua shrugs and puts his hands in his pockets. "Sounds good."

"Congratulations on making it past that part of the phase." The examiner keeps talking, but I zone out again. Well, I was never really paying attention in the first place.

"No!" A man screams. The door is closing on him. "Keep it open! No! Plea-"

His cries are cut off. The door is closed. Heh, sucks for him. He should've been faster.

The examiner goes on to talk about the place we're in. People get lost, blah blah blah, stay close to me, blah blah blah, the creatures will try to deceive you, blah blah blah.

"He's not the real examiner! I am!" A voice shouts from behind us. "He's trying to trick you!" People begin to mutter nervously. Everyone doesn't know who to trust.

Even Gon and Killua look confused. Idiots, the lot of them. He literally just warned us about this! Also, he had to be a Hunter already to be an examiner – common sense – and from what I've heard about these people, it doesn't make sense for a Hunter to be overpowered by this creature. Plus, I had my eye on him the whole time... There's no way that he could've been switched out in the time that I blinked. That's too difficult for even these creatures.

Hisoka looks smug for a second, and I know exactly what he's about to do, so I step off to the side. Sure enough, he throws his cards at both people – the man pretending to be the examiner, and the real examiner. The real examiner catches the cards, while the fake one gets impaled and dies. Geez, I'm glad I was able to catch them. That looks painful.

Hisoka explains to everybody what he did. Apparently he had almost the same thought process as me. The examiner tells him he'll kick Hisoka out if he attacks him again (I'm paraphrasing) and we move on. Took long enough.

 

* * *

 

"So, into the Numere Wetlands," I mumble.

The examiner began to run again, yelling behind him, "Pay attention now. Be sure to stay close behind me!" It is rather foggy; I can see perfectly fine but I imagine everyone else is having trouble. Leorio still had his shirt off.

"The fog is getting thicker," Kurapika says. I mentally rolled my eyes. Thank you, captain obvious.

Killua suggests that we move up. "So we don't lose sight of the examiner," Gon says, agreeing.

"Ah," Killua replies. "I'm more concerned with increasing the distance between us and Hisoka. Staying too close to him is dangerous. I can smell it in the air. "

"Smell?" Gon asks. "Hmm? I don't think he smells." He shrugs, and yells, "Lerorio! Kurapika! Killua says that we should move up!"

"Gon!" I say sharply. "Can you feel the tension in the air, surrounding us? Don't yell, and don't make Leorio mad by doing more than he can."

Kurapika and Leorio shout for us to go ahead anyway, and I shrug. Killua begins to run faster, and Gon follows.

I move back, moving to run beside Kurapika and Leorio. "I figured you guys could use some help," I say.

"I don't know how much help you will be," Kurapika says, looking slightly mad at me. Woah, what did I do?  "We can't even tell which way we're going."

"It's okay," Leorio says, ever the optimist. "As long as we don't lose sight of those guys ahead of us... you can go, Mira."

"Okay." I leave, carefully dodging the dangerous plants and animals. It's obvious I'm not wanted, though I don't know why. Who should I find now... Hisoka!

It takes me slightly longer than I would have planned to find Hisoka. So many screams... They're distracting. However, when I do find him, I stay quiet and hide in the trees. This should be fun.

He's standing in a clearing, surrounded by men with... sticks? Idiots. One of the men starts talking.

"When I saw you here last year," the man is saying, "I knew you weren't Hunter material."

Another man steps forward, and I cringe. "We'll spare you if you swear not to take the Hunter Exam again." Are they all really that idiotic?

"Sure," Hisoka says in an even voice, and I grin. All the men jump back in surprise, and Hisoka adds, "I'm passing the exam this year, so I won't need to retake it."

"Passing?" Someone asks. I don't even bother to look. "Idiot! Look at this fog! It is impossible to determine which direction the main pack went! Meaning we've all failed the exam!"

I giggle at the same time Hisoka laughs, and I know that he knows that I'm there, and I don't care. I doubt he does, either. "So that's why," He says. "Having already failed, you wish to play examiner. Hunters require prey. Why don't I play examiner... and judge whether you are hunter material?"

I bite back a smile, and whisper so softly that only Hisoka can hear it, "Make it interesting, please."

He holds up one of his cards between his fingers, and the man who was confronting him looks almost constipated. "Shut up!" He and a few of his other men yell, and charge at Hisoka. Hisoka, almost faster than I can see, swings his card in a circle and cuts down all of the men. Well, all but one - the leader. Now  the leader looks scared.

Hisoka turns around. "Now, then," He says, and the poor guy falls on his butt and tries pathetically to crawl away. Hisoka walks after him for a few paces, but when the guy tries to call for help, he swiftly buries two cards in the back of the guy's skull.

Kurapika and Leorio, who had been watching from the shadows, gasp. "Care to participate in my little game of examiner?" Hisoka asks them.

I don't want to see this. "Thanks for the show, but that's my cue to leave." I whisper, and I see Hisoka nod ever-so-slightly. Without another word, I'm off.

I decide to go bug the examiner. I had been paying attention to him the whole time, so I know exactly where he is. I catch up to him without any problems, and am not surprised to find that I am the only one there. He's standing by a very large golden gate, which I assume leads to phase two.

"Hey!" I say, more to announce my presence than to greet him. He looks surprised when he looks up. "Satotz, right? I'm Mira."

"Hello, young lady." He says. "How did you get here so fast?"

I shrug. "I could have gotten here faster, but I had to take a little detour. Hisoka was having fun. Now that's something that you can't miss. How long have you been a Hunter?"

Satotz looks caught off guard by my rapid change in subject, and I mentally grin. I love messing with people. "A while," he responds to my question. "What made you decide to take the Hunter Exam?"

I shrug again. "Hisoka brought me. I didn't even know what it was, to be honest. I had just finished... visiting... my parents when I bumped into him. I told him to stop being so creepy and he was so surprised that I noticed that he invited me along."

"Noticed what?" Satotz asks me. "Him being creepy? Everyone can notice that."

"No," I say, sliding a grin onto my face, making sure to keep it as creepy as possible. "His bloodlust."

Satotz falters for a second. Hah! Bet he didn't see that one coming! "Do you know of Nen, too?" He asks me once he rearranges his features into nonchalance once again.

"Yup!" I say cheerfully, keeping the creepy grin on my face. "I know all about it. Do you have a special ability?"

He looks at me strangely. "I am not allowed to tell you that, young lady. Do you have one?" I hear something clicking as it comes over the hill. Gittarackur.

I make my smile even bigger. "I'll show you later," I say, motioning with my eyes over to the newcomer, and walk slowly away. I think that did it.

My assumption is confirmed when, as Gittarackur arrives, Satotz moves closer to him for comfort. Wow, I must be getting better at this.

I silently lay back, close my eyes and wait for everyone else to get here.

 

* * *

 

Soon enough, people start arriving at the gate. Only half of the people that made it though the running part were here, which didn't come as a surprise to me.

"Excellent work, everyone," Satotz congratulates. "Phase two of the exam will occur here, in the Biska Forest Park. So, I shall take my leave. Best of luck to all of you." With that, he walks away, and I turn to look at the gate expectantly.

Within moments, it opens, and everyone turns to face it. There's rows of... desks? Is that what those are? A building is at the end of the desk thingies. I can't really tell from here (well, my eyes are half closed because I was sleeping... shh... don't tell anyone) but it looks like there's two people sitting in front of it - A fat man and a small girl.

"Will all applicants who passed the First Phase please enter?" One of the people yells. Yup, I think. It's a girl. This should be fun.

"Welcome." The girl says. Now that I can see her up close, I immediately don't like her, and I can tell that she won't like me. "I'm Menchi, the Second Phase examiner."

The other guy speaks up. "And I'm Buhara, the other examiner."

Everyone is silent, but I'm mentally making fun of both of them. Buhara's stomach growls, making me giggle. I've already guessed the challenge, and I already know I'm going to fail.

"Phase Two will involve..." Menchi says, drawing the moment out, "...cooking!"

Everyone starts to sputter indignantly, and I groan. I knew it.  Asylum never taught us how to cook! I really am going to fail. Unless...

People keep talking, but I'm to caught up in my own thoughts to pay attention. I hear a few crashes and yells, but don't bother to look up. Buhara and Menchi keep talking, and I hope it's not important...

"You're free to meat from any species of Biska Forest Pigs." Buhara says. "You must use the cooking facilities here to prepare the pork. And you only pass if we both find it delicious."  With that, Buhara hits his belly (you read that right) and the phase begins.

Everybody except me immediately bolts for the exit. I stay back, pretending to be lost in my thoughts.

"Hey, you," Menchi yells at me. "Everyone has left. It just started."

"Oh?" I say, making sure that I looked bored. "I didn't notice. I was too caught up in the thought of how utterly stupid this phase is. I mean, cooking? When is that going to help us? We will stand in front of out enemies ready to fight to the death in a long glorious battle and wait, stay there for a second, I made some delicious pork that I would really like you to try, and they will magically listen and stop and we'll eat and laugh and decide to be best friends and live under the rainbows together." I stop and take a big breath, and try not to grin as Menchi's face turns red.

"Y-you, y-y-you," She splutters. I turn with a sigh, wave nonchalantly, and saunter away, not once looking back. Once I get past the gates, I grin. Plan was a success.

Ten minutes later, I'm wandering around the forest. I figured out that the only pigs were the giant crazy things that have been chasing all of the contestants, so I decided to wander until one finds me. Not moments later, one stumbles out from behind a bush.

I was watching Gon when he figured out their weakness (I know, that makes me sound like a stalker) but that just seems so... boring. I know it's wrong of me to want more blood but hey, why not?

I relish the looks of horror on people's faces as I drag in my prize, practically throwing it to the ground.

"What did you do?" I hear the guy behind me whisper, probably not meaning for me to hear.

"Oh," I replied, and I immediately felt his fear intensify. "I couldn't figure out the weakness. So I just kept injuring it until it died of blood loss." The effect is pretty gruesome. You can barely tell it's a pig anymore - just a mangled mess of flesh and blood, with half of the tell-tale snout. I internally smiled - I had fun.

Unsure of what to do next, but knowing that it wouldn't matter, I threw random bits of the pig into a pot that I filled with water. Stew... am I supposed to boil the water before or after the ingredients?

I went with half way, just turning up the heat whenever I felt the urge to. I had never been around something like this before, and there was a lot of buttons and levers for me to play with. I also throw in a pinch of this grey stuff and a little bit of this red powder, and guessed that it was good enough. I try it, fully expecting to vomit, but surprisingly enough, it wasn't the worst thing I've had. It is actually pretty... good. Which completely ruins the point.

"Gah!" I yell, making people look at me strangely. I shrug and decide to go with it anyways.

Buhara and Menchi have been calling people up periodically. Buhara likes all of them, and Menchi turns every single one down, failing people just like that. I smile. I totally called it.

Gon, Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika go up. Their attempts were actually pretty decent, but they all get failed anyways. My smile gets bigger.

I am the last to be called. I've put my stew in a small bowl, and to be honest, it looks dang good. I'm proud of myself. Menchi eyes me distastefully as I walk up. Buhara tries it and likes it, to no one's surprise. She hesitantly gets out a spoon and takes a bite... I can see her eyes light up, and it's obvious that she doesn't absolutely hate it, but she fails me anyway.

In short, everyone fails, and everyone gets mad at failing. People are fighting and one person flies somewhere... but a huge airship descends upon us. CALLED IT! I'm cheering in my head.

"That said, it would be excessive to fail every single applicant," a voice from the airship says. A man jumps down in a very dramatic fashion, creating dust to get into people's eyes. When it clears, we see an old man; he has long eyebrows and a mustache and beard masking his mouth. His sandals make a distinctive clink sound on the ground.

Menchi steps forward. "The Chairman of the Selection Committee," she says. "He's in charge of the Hunter Exam... Chairman Netero."

 

* * *

 

"...Chairman Netero." Menchi says.

"Well, I work behind the scenes," Chairman Netero replies smoothly. "I only take action when there's an issue, like now. So, Menchi-kun, you failed all of the applicants..."

He keeps talking but I'm not paying attention to what he's saying. I'm more focused on how he's looking at her breasts. Pig. Sometime when I'm looking at Netero in disgust, Menchi announces a new challenge (called it!) - boiled eggs.

The Chairman takes us to Mt. Split-In-Half in his airship, and Menchi further explains the new phase. Basically, we have to jump down into this huge canyon thing and grab a Spider Eagle egg, then come back up and boil it. This will be a lot easier.

Menchi, much to the surprise of everyone, jumps down without a second thought. She grabs onto one of the strands of the web and just hangs there. Suddenly, she legs go, and almost everyone gasps. Menchi quickly snatches one of the eggs, but continues to fall until she is out of our sight. Then, a strong updraft starts blowing, and Menchi flies right out with it, holding the egg.

Most of everybody is too terrified at the notion of risking their lives like that. Idiots. Then why did they sign up for the Hunter Exam?

A lot of people just rush to jump down, though. Is everyone such an idiot?! I think furiously. The web will break! I do not go with them, but I watch at the edge. Killua and Gon are down there, and I actually think I care about them.

One guy is stupid, even more so than the rest, and just jumps down instead of waiting for the updraft. I can here Leorio - he wants to go, but Gon stops him. Good boy.

The web starts to snap. Some people drop, not willing to wait. Finally, Gon shouts, "Now!" and they all let go. It's not moments before they are all brought back up by the gust of wind.

"Yay!" Gon yells directly into my ear without meaning to. Then, he sees that I don't have an egg. "Mira!" He says loudly, bringing everybody's attention to us. "You didn't go down! That means you fail!"

"Not yet," I say with a grim look on my face. "It's not over yet."

I look into the chasm, and almost all of the webs have broken off and fallen down. There is definitely not enough to support me and my fall. I quickly think in my head. Netero is saying some nonsense about it being courageous to concede, too. Psh. I don't do 'quit'. I just do 'make more interesting'.

I can here Menchi coming up behind me. "There's no way you can go now." She says, a smug look in her eye. Well, I was really rude back there.

"I'm sorry for being rude," I say sincerely. "I really didn't mean any of the things that I said. I just had to say them. I've never cooked before and I knew I would fail, I just really didn't want to." I was going to leave it at that, but... "I knew you wouldn't like our group, and you look like the sort of person that gets mad easily when disrespected. The only way I could have made it here is by pushing you over the edge for their bad cooking, which was inevitable, and their disrespect. I figured that you would get mad and fail all of us, and someone would have to step in and make you re-do the challenge. So I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

Menchi looks surprised. "Hey, it's okay. You were able to predict all of that?"

I shrug. "People are predictable."

The Chairman, who was not-so-discreetly listening in on my apology, walked over. "What's your name?" He asks, addressing me.

"Mira." I say. "And apology's are private, you know. At least do a better job of hiding yourself."

I think I see a glimmer of surprise in his eye, but it is gone so quickly that it is more likely that I imagined it. "I hope to see you next year," he says with a small smile.

"Oh, it's not over yet." I mumble, looking back towards the chasm.

"Don't do anything stupid," Menchi tells me.

"Psh," I reply. "Me, stupid? Never." I look at them, grinning widely. "I just make it more interesting."

With that, I start running at almost full speed towards the gap. Man, if I didn't time this right, this is gonna hurt...

I count my steps as I run forward, and I can feel people's eyes digging into my neck as they scream for me to stop. "Don't get cocky," Killua yells, and I smile even more. Too late.

At the very edge, I leap into the air, making sure to keep my stomach tight and my shoulders back. I count the second in my head, until... BAM! I hit the wall on the other side, not having jumped far enough to have made it all the way across, and roll, effortlessly positioning myself to bounce back. I push as hard as I can, leaping through the air once more to snatch one of the few remaining eggs hanging by the thread of web. I successfully grab it and hold on tightly. I'm still hurtling towards the other wall, and I position myself to brace for impact.

This is where it comes down to timing. If I didn't time this right, the updraft will not give me enough momentum and I will fall to my death, which would be really embarrassing. Like, seriously, dying while trying to do something cool is not the way I want to go.

I hit the wall and start running, which is a lot harder than it sounds. One, I'm holding a giant egg, and two, it's vertical. So, yeah.

I can feel myself start to fall, and I pray that I timed it right. Three, two... one! The current comes right on time, pushing me up with enough force to keep me running on the wall. Vertically.

Within moments, I'm back on flat ground, and to be honest, it's a relief. I'm not a big fan of this whole heights thing. Everyone is looking at me in shock - I don't think what I just did has fully registered with anyone. Even Netero seems surprised. Gon and Killua look like they both had heart attacks.

"So!" I yell loudly, effectively snapping people out of whatever trance they were in. "Who's ready to eat some unborn babies?"

 

* * *

 

Netero takes us in the airship to the next phase.

"Allow me to introduce myself to the forty-two remaining applicants," The Chairman says. "I am Netero, Chairman of this year's Hunter Exam Selection Committee. Originally, I'd planned to make my appearance during the exam's final phase, but as I'm already here... I'm loving this tension in the air! So I think I'll stay around for the rest of the trip."

He laughs, and the strange green man beside him says, "We are scheduled to arrive at our destination tomorrow morning, at 8 AM. You'll find dinner waiting in the dining hall. You are also welcome to get some rest. In other words, you are free to do as you please until you're contacted."

I turn to Gon and Killua. "Guys! Let's explore the airship!"

"Hai!" They reply at the same time.

"How do they have so much energy?" I hear Leorio ask Kurapika. "I'm hitting the sack."

"You can say that again," Kurapika says back, and then I am too far away to hear him.

After getting thrown out of the kitchen, us three run tot he window to watch the city as we fly by.

"Woah!" Gon says. "It's like the ground is covered in jewels!"

"Yeah!" Killua agrees. I just nod in awe.

"Hey, I was wondering..." Gon starts. "Where are your guy's moms and dads?"

"Hmm," Killua says. "They're alive. Probably." More than I can say,  I think.

"What do they do?" Gon asks.

"They're assassins." Killua answers matter-of-factly. What?

"Huh? Both of them?" Gon asks, looking at Killua in surprise. Killua laughs.

"That's your first reaction?" Killua says with a light voice. "You really are a riot! You're the first person who's ever responded seriously.

"Well, you're telling the truth, right?"

"What makes you think that?" Killua ask, his eyes almost vulnerable.

"It's just a hunch," Gon replies. Oh, this boy.

"I'm from a family of assassins," Killua tells us. "So they're all assassins. And my family has really high hopes for me. But I can't stand it. Who wants to have their life planned out for them? When I told them I wanted to decide my own future, they all snapped! My mother had tears streaming down her face as she told me I have the potential to be a top assassin." Gon laughs. "Horrible parents, right? It's natural their kid would go bad. We ended up fighting. So I stabbed my mother in the face,  my brother in the side, and ran away from home. I'm sure they're out for blood now, but if they find me, I'll send them packing."

We all laugh, and Gon turns to me. "What about you, Mira? Where are your parents?"

I shrug. "Dead. I think."

They both gasp, and Gon asks, "How?"

"It doesn't matter. It's a long story," I say.

"Tell us!" Killua half-yells-half-asks.

"Okay. When I was really young, they sent me to this evil place called Asylum. I don't know if it was actually called that, but that's what the other kids and I called it. And yeah, there were other kids there, too. The scientists that ran the place were training us to be able to beat assassins, actually."

"What?!" Killua says. "All assassins?" He asks curiously.

"No," I reply, scrunching up my eyebrows. "Just one family of assassins. Apparently they're really good. Killua knows them."

Gon looks at me with surprise. "How do you know that Killua knows them?"

I shrug again. "Because he's one of them."

Killua jumps up. "What?!" He says again. "You were trained to beat me?"

"No, not you in particular," I say, rolling my eyes. "Just your whole family, the Zoldycks. I'm guessing you're one of them. I heard that they had a son your age. The scientists didn't really tell us much."

"Woah," Gon says. "How did you get out?"

"I escaped," I said simply. "No one else wanted to leave, though. They all liked it there. I was the only one that was treated badly, probably because I was the only one that talked back."

"Woah," Gon says again. A gust of wind blows from behind us, and Netero walks up in the opposite direction.

"Something wrong?" He asks us.

"You're pretty fast for an old man," Killua says.

"That little trick?" The Chairman looks modest. "I barely moved.

"What do you want?" Killua asks him, practically radiating hostility, and I roll my eyes again. "You don't have to do anything until the last phase, right?"

"No need to be so unkind," Netero says. "I got bored, and was looking for some companions. By the way, I meant to ask the three of you...any thoughts on your first attempt at the Hunter Examination?"

Gon is the first to respond. "Uh-huh!" He says. "It's fun! And there haven't been any of the written exams that I was dreading." I giggle.

"I'm disappointed..." Killua speaks up. "I expected the exam to be far more difficult. I assume the next phase will be more entertaining?"

"Well, now, I wouldn't know about that." Netero looks at me. "And you?"

I think about it for a moment. "I think I'm actually with Killua on this one," I say. "I didn't know the exam existed until Hisoka brought me, but the way he described it, I didn't think it would be this easy."

The Chairman seems to laugh. Mentally, of course. "Would you care to play a game with me?" He asks all of us.

"A game?" Gon repeats.

"If you're able to defeat me, I shall let you become Hunters!" Nereto states. I don't know, I think. Obviously, he has something in mind, and it's going to be a lot harder than it seems. He wouldn't just... give away Hunter Licenses. And with that trick earlier... He's definitely a lot more strong than he wants people to think. But... Why not?

I decide to do it, but if I win, I want to stay with Gon and Killua, if that's possible. I've grown to really like them, and I don't want to part ways quite yet.

"Really? I'll play!" Gon's reply is immediate.

"I'm in," I say, and Killua simply shrugs, but we all know his answer. A game it is!

 

* * *

 

"Now, I'll go over the rules of the game," The Chairman says. "If you can take this ball from me before the airship reaches it's destination, you win. I believe we're scheduled for an 8 AM arrival? Well, that still gives you nine hours. You're free to attack me however you like. I won't touch you."

"Huh?" Gon asks, clearly confused. "That's too easy. You can't call that a game."

"Why not give it a try first?" Netero says, looking smug.

"We just have to take the ball?" Killua clarifies. Netero replies with a yes, and Killua  says, "Then I'll go first."

Killua starts by walking in circles around Netero. He does an assassin trick that we were taught about in Asylum called Rhythm Echo. He uses it to make illusions of duplicates of himself, all walking in the same direction at the same pace. Netero looks surprised; it is a rather advanced trick. I'm not surprised in the least. Killua is a Zoldyck, and if they say that he had potential... that's saying something.

Suddenly, Killua lunges out and grabs for the ball, but the Chairman dodges him easily. It goes on like this for a little bit, with Killua just running after the ball. Trying to do something else, Killua sweeps out with his leg, intending to knock Netero off his feet. It doesn't work, and I giggle. All it did was leave Killua on the ground, clutching his leg in pain. Giving up, Killua tags Gon and they switch positions.

Gon does some weird sort of stretching as the Chairman sizes him up. Impressively quickly, Gon darts toward his target. Netero looks bored, expecting Gon to try to face him head-on. To everyone's surprise (except my own, obviously), Gon jumps up at the last second, intending to attack from above. Like the simple-minded person he is, he just hits his head of the ceiling. I roll my eyes.

Gon motions at me, silently asking me if I want to go. I pass, taking the opportunity to observe Netero. The three boys go on for what seems like hours, never even getting close to catching the ball. Eventually, Killua speaks up. I can feel his bloodlust - he is about to kill someone. That would be fun to watch.

"Forget it," He says. "I lose!" After a few more words, he walks away. Netero looks to me.

"You haven't even tried yet," The Chairman points out. I shrug.

"I know I would win," I say.

"Prove it," He replies. It is written on his face that he thinks I am simply a cocky little brat.

I shrug. "Okay. Gon, tag me in." Gon walks over, dripping with sweat, and tags my hand.

"Good luck, Mira," He says. I can already feel myself calming down, and know I will have to be careful not to kill the old man. Slowly, I let my old habits take over, and my heart grows cold. It was something that I always felt when I actually got serious about a fight. The scientists at Asylum had a funny sense of humor - they always called me "Dark Snow", because I am one of those people who gets really calm when they're furious.

The old man was paying too much attention to the game, and not the bigger picture. If he was, he would have seen me watching him, analyzing his moves. Strike One.

The look on the old man's face very clearly shows that he thinks I will be like the other two, with clear weaknesses and a less than perfect strategy. Strike Two.

I stand up slowly and slowly release some of my aura, focusing it in the man's direction. It is only a small percentage of my power, but it is still immensely strong. The Chairman is trained – he is most likely able to sense how much I am holding back. My theory is proved when his eyes start to widen. I can hear Gon gasp; even to untrained Nen users, I seem ridiculously powerful. Asylum trained us to be able to beat the Zoldycks, in any condition. Needless to say, it was very intense training.

The Chairman is looking at me more warily now. Good, I think. He might even be worth some effort on my part.

I smile coldly, unfeelingly. "So, old man, give it your best. I've been bored, so any challenge is welcome. Although," I make a point of looking him over, "I'm not sure you'll present one."

He smiles thinly. "We'll see," He says, obviously still underestimating me. Strike Three. I swear, is it my age? My gender? Why does everyone think I can't do crap, even though I continuously prove otherwise?

I move in a flash. It is too quickly for the untrained eye to follow (or the trained one, for that matter). Before anyone even sees that I have moved, I have the ball in my hand.

The Chairman looks at me, disbelief clear in his eyes. "How..." He trails off.

"Rough childhood. I learned low to move fast. So, I guess that means I'm a Hunter now... how boring. Can I do it again? With a real fight this time, without you making assumptions?"

He nods, still shell-shocked.

"And how about if I win... I'm a Hunter, but I get to participate in the remainder of the Exam, without anyone knowing that I have already passed. If I lose... you decide." I say, my posture relaxed but still ready to strike at a moment's notice."

"Why would you want to keep going, if you win?" Which you won't, I can almost hear him think. "You would already be a Hunter."

"My friends are here," I reply simply. "And I don't have anywhere else to go." Chairman Netero nods, agreeing to my terms, but still looks slightly concerned. Oh well. He'll just have to deal with it.

I toss the ball back, and start walking in slow circles around him, similar to what Killua did, although I don't try any useless assassin tricks. My goal is to analyze, to take in as much information as I can, and use it against him. Like I was trained to do. I can feel him doing the same to me, so make sure to keep my steps even and confident and my face emotionless. I will not show weakness, and even though I could beat him in my sleep, I am not one to take chances when I want to be serious. I'm not that bored.

"I'm assuming no Nen?" I ask him quietly. Gon looks confused for a second, then seemingly decides to wait it out. I'm glad he didn't ask, because I don't want to be the one to explain it.

"No," The Chairman says, and shakes his head. His shock that I know about Nen is only there for a moment.

"Okay then," I say. "I'll go easy on you. I have a feeling you're kind of important." He nods. At least he's seen a little what I can do.

It only takes me a few steps to get close to him – I'm about a meter away now.

"Use Nen to hit and block," I say. "That will make things more interesting."

He gives a curt nod, and before I can blink, lunges at me. This is a different tactic than the one he used with Gon and Killua. With them, it was chasing the ball. With me, it is fighting.

He delivers a swift uppercut to my chin (or rather tries to) and I dodge. His lunging left him wide open for me to kick his feet out from under him – he is testing me, I realize. He wants to know if I am going to end this, or play the game. If I actually want to fight, or simply show off.

End, or play? I know my decision even before I fully comprehend the question. I run to the wall, ignoring his temporary weak spot, and choose to play. I'm a show off, and I'm not going to deny that fact. However, that doesn't mean that I always want to do things the easy way.

In a flash, I am back by him. I hit, he dodges, keeping the ball secured behind his back. He hits, I dodge. We are a flurry of color, completely soundless except for his grunts. It is fun for a minute at most, but very soon I grow tired of going back and forth, neither landing a hit. He's too slow, not strong enough. I can tell that while the Chairman is using almost all of his strength in this battle, I am using 30%, at most.

In one quick move, as he comes in to hit me, I block his hit and twist his arm behind his back while simultaneously sweeping his feet out from under him. He falls to the ground.

"I win, old man," I say, and smirk. "Told you."

 

* * *

 

"...And this is where it gets interesting," I say, readying myself. I haven't done this in far too long, and I pray that I won't screw it up.

"You see," I continue, "I'm not a Hunter. That's okay. But... now I have two people who know about my strength, and that just won't do. I really don't want to attract more people like Hisoka. I don't need that crap. So... I'm sorry for what I have to do. Well, not really, but for some reason people like you to apologize even if you don't mean it."

"What...?" Netero looks confused, and I don't even know what Gon is doing. He's just standing in the corner, completely lost. Maybe he's in shock. I've done that to people before; it's a rather disconcerting feeling, knowing that you are the reason. But there's no need to dwell on the past.

I grin. "Time to show you my Nen ability. It's a fun one, though I haven't yet picked a name." There's a reason for that, but it's a story for another time.

Slowly, carefully, I break down the walls that I've built around my mind. Immediately, I can feel my consciousness reaching out, as if it was an entirely separate entity. The thoughts begin to trickle in, and time seems to slow.

What is she doing? That aura - it's incredibly dark. It feels... poisonous. I can recognize that one as Netero.

Wow. Mira really is strong. Yup, that's Gon.

Then I feel something that is far too familiar - the life of a person, slowly slipping away. I know the person behind the loss. Killua. He couldn't kill someone when I was there? How impatient of him. I expand my reach, enjoying the feeling of it. I forgot how much I love this...

He's a creep, one member in the airship thinks, and I receive a clear picture of Hisoka.

Hehe... now they'll be too worried and won't get any sleep...  Tonpa thinks. Poor Kurapika and Leorio. Hopefully they will figure it out on their own. If not, it's their loss.

...fruit begins to ripen!  I catch the tail end of what feels like musing. It only takes me seconds to realize that it's Hisoka. Ah, that's my boy. He's not talking about me, thankfully.

Shaking my head, I focus on the task at hand, and begin to probe Gon's and Netero's minds. Gon is easy, like an open book just begging to be read. The Chairman's is slightly more difficult, because he begins to fight back. It's still relatively easy to overpower him, and I begin to wonder about who the Hunters picked to be their Chairman.

With precision that I didn't know I had, I find the memory of our fight in both of their minds. Without giving myself time to hesitate, I erase it. It's like my accomplishment never happened. I still decide to go one step further, and implant a false memory.

"You haven't even tried yet," Chairman Netero says, and I shrug.

"It's okay," I say. "There's no way I could win, anyways. Killua and Gon are stronger than me, and they couldn't do it."

"You never know if you don't try," He tries to convince me, though only halfheartedly, but I decline again.

"No," I say. "I think I'm just going to go to bed early, if that's fine with you." Netero nods, and I move to leave, not once looking back. Neither one of them tries to stop me.

Once I've got that all settled out, I decide to do something else, so that I can wander around alone. I mentally "nudge" Gon, giving him the idea of staying until he gets Netero to use his right hand. I know that he would have probably done it anyways, but I don't want to take any chances. Alone time is too amazing.

Quickly, I snap my walls back up, and the thoughts disappear. It's disappointing - I really like hearing what people think about me. Especially when it's the opposite of their body language. I love liars. I always have, and I always will. They're just so entertaining.

Right after I withdraw from their minds, Chairman Netero and Gon seem to come back to life. The whole time I was doing the poking around (which took less time than you'd think) they were kind of just staring into space. That tends to happen. I even think Gon was drooling.

I quickly leave, not wanting them to see me go. It wouldn't correspond with my implanted memory, where I had already left. I am already around the corner when I hear them begin fighting again. Ah, so it worked.

I decide to wander the airship for a while. I've never really had to sleep much, and don't plan to begin now.

I was kicked out of several rooms before I began to smell something that was far to familiar for me - blood. As I keep walking, the smell grew stronger, and I am rounding a corner when I almost trip over the source. It is two men, both mutilated and bloody. Killua, I think, disappointed. Don't be so sloppy!

I drag the bodies away from the scene, debating with myself with where to put them. I decide to leave them for someone else to find... so I bring them into the kitchen and find an empty freezer. This might cause someone to have a heart attack, I think almost worriedly. Then I shrug and stuff them in.

I look behind me with full intention of finding a place to rest, but realize my mistake. The blood is still all over the floor! Not wanting anyone to find out where they are this soon, I grab a mop and clean it up. It takes a surprisingly long time, but I really don't want to have this pinned on me, so I make sure that everything is perfect (but not too perfect, just the way it was). When I'm finally done, I drop the mop in the corner and begin to walk away. However, I immediately stop when I hear a voice from behind me.

"I was going to do that, but I see you beat me to it."

 

* * *

 

"I was going to do that, but I see you beat me to it."

His words echo in my head. Shit, I think, and begin to talk. "Hey, Killua. What's up?"

"Who are you really?  A normal girl wouldn't clean up after me." I feel my irritation rise.

"Do I look normal to you?" I ask him rhetorically. I probably do, considering his family. I'm just not a normal person's definition of normal.

"Why?"

"Why what?" I reply, evading his question. What do I say?

"Why did you help?"

I shrug, and say, "It was an impulse. Now I'm regretting it, though."

"Good. I don't need help."

I take a step back and look at him. "Yes, Master. Your wish is my command. I will never again do anything to aid you in any way." He looks annoyed.

"That's not what I meant," He tells me.

"That's what you said."

"Are you really going to be like this?"

"Yes," I state matter-of-factly. "I'm always like this. You don't like me, you go away. I thought it was simple, but I must have been mistaken."

The young Zoldyck doesn't respond. He just looks at me for a moment, then silently walks away. As soon as he's out the door, I let my shoulders slump. Why does he bug me so much?

I slowly make my way down the hall. I should probably sleep, I think. I haven't done that in a while.

But, the nightmares come when I'm sleeping (obviously, they're not going to come while I'm awake), and I don't want to go through that right now. I don't want anyone to know, because I'm really enjoying this 'invincible' thing I've got going on.

So, in order to preserve my awesomeness, I just sit in the hall and zone out.

Eventually, someone announces us nearing Trick Tower, and I hear people shuffling as they get ready to leave.

Everyone meets up on the top of the tower and the green dude starts talking.

"The exam's Third Phase will begin here, at the top of Trick Tower. To pass this phase, you must reach the tower's base alive. The time limit is seventy-two hours. With that, we will now begin the third phase. I will pray for your success."

Once he says that, I stop listening. He doesn't say much else, so I just walk to the edge and look down. It's rather high.

"Are we supposed to climb down?" I hear Leorio ask.

"That would be suicide," Kurapika says. Someone laughs from behind then.

"Maybe for a normal person,"  a buff man says. I roll my eyes... overconfident people. At least they're entertaining.

The jumps over to the side of the tower, announcing, "but a top-class rock climber can handle this, no problem."

"Wow..." Gon says. "He's going down pretty fast."

"Looks like I'll be the first one to pass the Third Phase," the man states proudly. I hear a screech in the distance and don't even try to hold back my smile. I love it when other people fail miserably.

The man's eyes widen as the most hideous creatures begin to fly around the tower.

"Stop!" He yells. "Stay away!" It's funny that he thinks that will help. "Stop! Stop it!"

Aaand, they eat him, flying away. I can hear his yells from inside one of the creatures... cool.

"Guess we can't climb down the side," Leorio mumbles with wide eyes.

"Yeah," Kurapika agrees.

I decide to ignore them and focus on getting to the bottom. You can't go down the sides, so you must be able to go down the middle. It would make sense because of the ridiculously long time limit... but, I'm lazy. Side it is.

 

* * *

 

I wait until everyone else has entered the tower through trapdoors. I assume they're going to be in teams, or something of the sort - just another reason for me to be by myself. I don't work well with others, as I've been told.

So, after everyone is down, I climb over the edge, putting some of my Nen into my feet so I stick to the wall. Someone I knew at Asylum used to be really good at this, but she called it 'chakra'... go figure.

Anywho, I start walking down. I'm just minding my own business when one of the pink bird creatures shreeks, so I begin to run. I can hear it coming closer, and at this point, I'm trying not to freak out. I'm not a big fan of birds... yeah, you read that right.

Just when it's about to eat me, I jump on it's back. The thing starts flipping out and jerking all over the place, so I take my dagger and plunge it into the creature's neck. If I thought it would stop moving, I was mistaken. It only tries harder to fling me off of it's back, and I have to dig in my knees so I don't fall off.

The ground is too far away to jump, so I steer the creature towards the wall. It hesitates flies unsteadily closer, until it rams me into the side of the tower. I let go, pushing the thing as far away from me as possible. My momentum shoots me through the wall, leaving a small hole in the tower. I stand up, coughing, and see Hisoka and some other dude glaring at each other.

The room is lit with a green light and I wince at how bright it is. The guy is talking to Hisoka, so I listen. Neither one has acknowledged me.

"I'm not an examiner this year," The man is saying. "I'm here for revenge. Since last year's exam, all I've focused on was killing you." He whips out some sort of curved blade that I look at with interest. I want one of those.

"Today, I'll get payback for my scars!" He yells, swinging his blade around dramatically. Hisoka snorts.

"Those scars," The magician says, "merely show that you were a incompetent examiner. You're blaming me for your own inadequacies."

"Keep yapping!" The man yells in reply. I try not to laugh at how ridiculous he looks.

"Prepare to die," he says, and I can't hold back a snort. The man looks over to me in surprise. Really? How did they not notice the giant whole in the wall?

"No, carry on," I say with a smile. "Don't let me stop you." He seems to heed my advice as he spins a blade around, one on each hand.

"Dual wielding?" Hisoka asks. The guy smiles and throws his blades in the air. Hisoka's eyes widen.

"No," The man humphs. "Infinite quad wielding! Take this!" He throws two of his blades at Hisoka, who easily dodges them. They swing back around and Hisoka replicates his move, but one of the blades nicks him. Still, the magician stands up like nothing happened.

"It's not over yet!" The man yells, throwing them once again at Hisoka. I slouch down on the ground, already bored as Hisoka leans back and the blades fly harmlessly over him.

It goes on for a while; the man throws his blades while blabbering about how awesome he is, and Hisoka dodges all of them.

Until... Hisoka catches two of them, and I sigh in relief. Finally, it's getting interesting.

"It would indeed be difficult to dodge your attacks," Hisoka says with a slight smile, then licks a blade. It's about as disturbing as it sounds.

"Thus," Hisoka continues, "I should just stop the blades." He walks closer to his attacker who is now dripping with sweat, saying something too quiet for me to hear.

Then, in true Hisoka fashion, he decapitates the man. I clap slowly.

"That took far too long, my friend," I tell him. "Why did you have to draw it out? I was getting bored."

"Oh, I apologize for not being entertaining enough," he says sarcastically. I hold back my surprise. Hisoka, being sarcastic? The world is going to implode.

"Apology accepted," I say with a curt nod, then smile. "Wanna finish together? I'll even let you go first."

He nods, and we're off. As he leaves, though, I pick one two of the man's blades off of the floor. Who knows, I'll use it for something.

He was already almost done, so it doesn't take long at all for us to reach the final door. As we approach it opens, and a tinny voice announces, "Hisoka, applicant 44, is the first to pass the Third Phase. Total time, six hours and seventeen minutes."

I walk through, and the voice says "Mira, applicant 45, is the second to pass the Third Phase. Total time, six hours and seventeen minutes."

I shrug. "Hey Hisoka, wanna play cards?"

 

* * *

 

"Gah! How do you do this?" I yell, receiving several strange looks. Hisoka laughs quietly in the way that only he can pull off. I gesture obscenely at the pile of cards in front of me. I was trying to make a house, like red-head is so easily doing, but apparently I'm not good at these things. I think Hisoka is purposely messing with me. Maybe he gave me faulty cards... My train of thought is lost as Hisoka takes the cards back and puts them away.

Only twenty-five applicants ended up passing. Gon, Killua, Kurapika and Leorio were the last ones through. I have mixed feelings about this - I sort of don't care and I'm sort of relieved. I'm not sure what to call it.

Everyone exits Trick Tower one-by-one. The fresh air feels amazing, but I'm the only one who seems to care. A short guy with a purple mohawk greets us.

"Ladies and gentleman, congratulations on having escaped Trick Tower," He says. "Only the Fourth and Final Phase remain. "

"Two more..." The bald ninja mumbles, and purple-mohawk continues.

"The Fourth Phase will take place over there, on Zevil Island. Let us proceed." He snaps his fingers and I flinch, ignoring the strange looks that I get.

Another man wheels out a cart with a box on top, where purple-mohawk says that we're supposed to choose our target. He explains all of the rules for the next phase but I don't really pay attention. There's a butterfly flying around my head, and it's bugging the crap out of me. Not literally, of course.

"Will the first person come forward?" Purple-mohawk asks, and Hisoka walks up. Everyone stares as he reaches in to pull out a card. Then I walk up and grab one, closely followed by the Gittarackur. I stand by Hisoka as I look at my cards - I have number 34. Then I look around and see that no one else has opened their cards yet... oops.

My target is some green haired person. Seriously, what is up with the crazy hair? I guess I can't say much, since mine is white, but it's only white. I want red hair like Hisoka, but for some reason, my hair stubbornly refuses to be dyed.  I have red eyes, though, and that's pretty damn cool.

Purple-mohawk is still talking. Something about needing 6 points. I ignore him, and soon enough, everyone is herded onto a large boat.

Hisoka and I agree to be separated for the duration of this phase. I don't think he knows what to do with me, honestly. I think I'm too much for him. Or maybe it's vice versa, and I'm the boring one. Although I don't think that's the case.

When we reach land, I run straight into the forest. I don't really know what to do (my expertise is in a concrete room) so I climb a tree -  something that sounds fun at the moment. I mask my Nen and no one seems to notice me. Maybe I'm just more forgettable than I think I am.

Luckily, it isn't long (maybe an hour?) before 34 passes directly under me. His tag is obviously in his back pocket, and I have no trouble grabbing it without him noticing. Well, that was easy.

I wait until he's gone to sigh. What do I do? I have what, five days? Bleh, I think. I'm already bored.

With nothing else in mind, I walk back to the boat. I'm sure most people are avoiding it because it would be the obvious place to go. I'll just have to keep track of my tags, and I'll be fine. Right?

 

* * *

 

I'm an idiot for thinking this would be easy. Random people keep coming up to me and trying to steal my tags! It's like, come on, catch your target!

Unless I am one of their targets. That would be embarrassing.

Another person walks up and I roll my eyes, jumping into the water. It's been a while since I've gone swimming. I tend to avoid the water, but at this point, I just want something to do.

I barely make a splash as I dive in, going as deep as I can.

Fish surround me. They are all brightly colored with random spots and stripes. As odd as that sounds, it's beautiful. I kick down farther, and am greeted by more fish. And more fish. Damn fish are getting everywhere, I think grumpily. I go to kick back to the surface (believe it or not, I do need air) but my foot gets caught in some algae. I kick harder, ripping the plant from the lake's bottom. I can feel my lungs start to ache.

Shit, I think, and kick harder. I will not go like this. I'm swimming towards the surface as fast as I can, but it isn't coming any closer. No! Not after Aya!

Silence. It's too quiet under here. My mind is blank. My senses, numb. Then the fear strikes me, fear that something's just gone terribly wrong. The realization of that fear alerts my other senses to break away from the numbness, and my heart begins to beat frantically.

I struggle, waving and beating my hands and your legs in all directions. Nothing happens. I am suspended in water, and the only thing I can touch is water, which seems to pass from under my hands as I touch it.

I open my mouth to scream, but cold water flows in, choking me. It's like the water itself is preventing me from getting to the surface. Black threatens my vision, and I know it won't go away unless I let it.

This all has happened before. So, I close my eyes and let the darkness carry me away.

Carry me away, into my past. 

 

* * *

 

_"Mama? Papa? Where are we going?"_

_"You'll see," My papa tells me. I'm worried, though. My mom hasn't said a word, just looked at me angrily.  What did I do wrong? Was it that bad?_

_She hit me, too. She has never hit me before. I thought that parents weren't supposed to hurt their kids. I remember it really clearly, too._

_I had tripped and accidentally hit one of her flower vases on the way down, sweeping it off the table end sending it flying to the ground. It shattered on impact. My mama came rushing into the room, shock on her face._

_"Mira! What have you done?" She yelled at me. I cringed._

_"I'm sorry, mama," I remember saying. "I didn't mean to. I fell."_

_"Don't," my mother seethed, "call me that. Ever. You were a mistake. I am not your mother."_

_"But, mama," I replied, confused. I remember thinking, but she is my mom. Why can't I call her that?_

_"What did I say?" She roared. I was terrified. Never had I seen her act this way. It wasn't even a special vase, just something my father had gotten from his work a while back._

_When she came at me, I was frozen. I didn't know what was going on, or why someone I loved was so mad at me. My head whipped to the side as she slapped me, tears immediately welling in my eyes._

_"I'm sorry." I whispered._

_"You should be!" She screamed, and hit me again. This time, I fell to the floor. And again. I whimpered, curling into a ball. I lost count after that. It was blow after blow after blow, and I didn't fight back. I just lied there, tears streaming down my cheeks, until my vision went black._

_._

_I don't know why it happened, just that it did, and now they're taking me somewhere, and I don't know what's going to happen._

_I stay quiet, though, so they don't get mad at me again. I wince as I brush my hand against my cheek, the bruise still there._

_I close my eyes and wait patiently. We finally arrive at a large concrete building. It has a small door in front, but that's it. There's no windows or anything else. I shiver._

_A man walks up to us. He's wearing a long white coat, and he looks scary._

_"Is this the girl?" He asks papa, who nods in reply. Then the man in the coat says, "Don't worry, we'll take good care of this one._

_My mom grabs my arm harshly. "Mira, go with this man. This is your home now."_

_"W-what?" I say, tripping over the question. "But, mama..."_

_"What did I say about calling me that?" She says sharply. "Now, go."_

_Tears stream from my eyes as the man grabs me from behind. I try to struggle, but to avail. He's bigger and stronger than me, and there's nothing I can do. I can only whimper quietly as he drags me into the building._

_._

_"Who are you?" A small voice asks me through the wall._

_"Who are you?" I reply. The guy in the lab coat dragged me here before slamming the door._

_"I asked you first," The voice replies sassily._

_"Yeah, well, I don't wanna answer," I say back. The voice giggles._

_"I like you. I'm Aruki. Are you new here?"_

_"Yeah, I guess so. I'm Mira. What is this place?"_

_"They like to call it Asylum," Aruki tells me. "It's where they experiment with all of the kids like us."_

_"Like us?" I ask._

_"Unwanted," She says. "I've been here for two years. They never let you go."_

_"How old are you?" I ask her brokenly._

_"Um..." Aruki hesitates. "Four? I think. I'm not good with numbers. They don't teach you."_

_"Oh. I'm six. Wanna be friends?"_

_"Yes! I haven't had a friend before," she says, and I smile sadly._

_"Friends, then. Forever and ever."_

_"Yeah. Forever and ever."_

_._

_"Are you Aruki?" I hear a man say, waking me up from my nap. "Do you want to get out of this place?"_

_I run to the small hole between our cells that Aruki and I managed to create. It's no larger than a keyhole, but it is better than constant isolation. If anything, we can hear each other better._

_"Who are you?" She asks the man, blocking my view. I catch a glimpse of a pale face and long black hair, but that's it._

_"Someone who wants to train you," The man replies. "And I get what I want."_

_"What if I say I wanna stay here?" Aruki asks._

_"Then I'll torture your friend in the cell right over there until you say yes," the guy says. I gasp quietly._

_"Okay, I'll go," Aruki tells the man. "Just don't hurt Mira."_

_"We have a deal," he says, taking my friend by the arm and leading her out of the room._

_"No, Aruki!" I yell. She doesn't hear me, or if she does, she doesn't turn around._

_The door slams shut, and a picture appears in my mind._

_It's a snake, intertwined with a spider._

 

* * *

 

I am pulled out of the water by a flash of green.

"Mira!" Gon shouts worriedly. "Are you okay?"

I nod, unable to speak. Every time I see those memories, I feel like a part of me dies... the good part. But it's not like I've ever needed to be good, so...

"What were you doing down there?!" Gon yells, making me remember that he's still there. His hand is clenched tightly around my wrist, and I know there's going to be bruises later.

I shrug, then whisper, "I was just waiting for you guys. Thanks for bringing me out, I tend to lose track of time."

"You looked like you were dead," Killua says from behind me, and I shrug again.

"Happens sometimes," I say. "Hey Gon, would you mind letting go?"

"Yeah, sorry Mira-kun..." He trails off, releasing my hand. I quickly cover my wrist so that he doesn't see the quickly forming bruises, although I don't know why.

"We all finished the Fourth Phase," Killua tells me. "Now we're going to where ever the Fifth is."

"Okay," I say, and we all get on the boat together. I'm glad he changed the subject, but also irritated at myself. Now he knows something happened...

There are ten remaining applicants. Gon, Killua, Kurapika, Leorio, Pokkle, Bodoro, Gittarackur, Hanzo, Hisoka, and of course, me. I'm assuming that the final phase will be one-on-one battles, so I probably won't have a problem... Still, I really don't want to fight Leorio. That would be too pathetic to watch.

 

* * *

 

"Well, gentlemen," Netero announces when we're at our destination. I look at him pointedly and he grins, saying, "And ladies, excuse me, Mira. Did you get plenty of rest? This hotel is owned by the Hunter Exam Selection Committee. The place is all yours until the battles have concluded."

Yup, I was right, I think. 

"For the Final Phase," Netero continues, "we will be holding a one-on-one tournament. One win is all you need to pass. The winners are removed from competition, while the losers continue up the bracket. In other words, the person who finishes at the top will not pass. Does everyone understand now?"

He shows the bracket with our pictures on it, and I glare at him.

"So everyone has at least two chances to win..." Netero says.

"Except me," I finish for him. "I only fight once, while Gon and Hanzo get five chances."

"Why didn't you use a balanced bracket?" Someone asks. I don't bother turning to see who it is.

"A question that must be on everyone's mind," Netero smirks. "This bracket was assembled based on your performances throughout the entire exam. Those who preformed better received more chances."

Killua starts talking, but I am too busy giving Netero a death glare. I make sure to keep the rest of my face even, though, even as my thoughts rage on.

I did the worst? How is that? I finished everything before everyone... well, except Trick Tower, but I let him win! And the egg thing, but I was creative about how I did it! I shouldn't have erased the memory of me kicking his ass. Maybe I should give it back... It would serve him right.

I pause. No... this has to be a test. I can't give it back, even though I'm not worried about any threats now. It would raise suspicion, and I can't have anyone knowing about me Nen ability. Once this whole thing is over, I have to focus on finding Aruki. I can't do that if I have people after me.

I take a deep breath, feeling slightly calmer. I focus on what Netero is saying.

"The battle rules are simple. Weapons are allowed. No cheating. If your opponent admits defeat, you win. However, if you kill your opponent, you will be immediately disqualified. All remaining applicants will pass, and the exam will end. Are we clear?"

No one answers.

"Then, we shall begin the exam's Final Phase."

 

* * *

 

"The first match is Hanzo versus Gon," A man in a black suit and sunglasses announces. "Please step forward."

The two do as they're told, both with determined expressions on their face.

"Begin!" The referee shouts, and Gon takes off in the opposite direction of Hanzo. I can see his eyes widen as the ninja easily matches his pace, knocking him down with a single blow. 

I shut my eyes and turn my head sideways as Gon falls to the floor. Fists clenches, I walk out of the room. Killua begins to say something, but I am gone.

Logically, I know that Gon will win. He is too stubborn to give in, even is Hanzo tortures him for days (and Hanzo is too proud to kill him and fail). I just can't watch anyone else go though that pain. The people who think I'm being childish can go screw themselves.

I know that I need something to get my mind off of the fights. My battle isn't until last, if someone doesn't die before then (which I doubt).

I can hear Gon's cries of pain from here, so I run in the opposite direction. I can feel my fury rising up inside of me, a poisonous black ball of electricity sitting deep inside my stomach. I know that I will not, can not, give in, because last time I did... it had disastrous consequences.

It's how I escaped from Asylum.

I shiver, but am still running. A man has followed me, but I dismiss him. I don't care at this point, and he's falling behind anyway. Apparently I'm a lot faster than they said I was, because if I'm actually trying, no one can keep up.

I reach an empty place that looks like it's used for training. That's what I'll do... train.

I open my mind and immediately lash out within myself, creating illusions only I can see. I learned to do this years ago. When all I wanted was a friend, I could create one. It kept me from going completely insane.

This time, though, the illusions are anything but kind. A shadow that looks strangely like a man lunges at me, multiplying as it comes closer. I twist and dodge and punch, strengthening the illusion so that I can feel pain. I purposely let one get through my defenses, and am shocked at how much their touch hurts. I've gotten stronger...

Still, the pain is welcome. I kick back at the shadows, and make the illusion so that I can feel their pain, too. It hurts much more, but I smile. It is a relief, to finally meet a worthy opponent. Myself.

When the shadows' actions begin to become predictible, I force fear into my mind, something I am still mastering. Terror envelops me, and even though I know I created it, the feeling almost paralyzes me. My stomach is in my throat and my heart is pounding, but I keep fighting. Fighting myself, fighting my mind.

I'm sure I look incredibly strange, twirling in an unknown dance with unseen enemies. The thought doesn't bother me.

I make the shadows disappear. There is no point to this if it is not a challenge, and even though I can make their actions unpredictable, I do not feel the pain as much as I should. I am numb yet furious, fear receding faster than I can provoke it.

A picture of Gon forms unbidden in my mind. Then Kullia, the Hisoka. Then, as the icing on top of the cake, Aruki.

I roar. On a whim, I create illusions of them all.

"Mira-chan, how could you let me leave?" Illusion-Aruki whimpers. "You knew he was bad. How could you let me go?"

"You're letting me suffer," Illusion-Gon accuses. "You didn't even try to help."

"You're pathetic," Illusion-Killua tells me. "Worthless. Unwanted. I don't know why Gon even bothers."

Illusion-Hisoka looks haughtily at me. "You're not even worth my time. I was playing with you. Why would I talk to you, much less fight you?"

"You were never my friend," Illusion-Aruki mutters. "I didn't even want to talk to you. Sitting there in that room, alone, was so much better when you weren't by me. You know what? I'm glad he took me. He got me away from you."

My heart grows cold and I smile. My eyes are dark.

Much better.

The light inside of me that ignited when I met them splutters, growing dim.

I turn and face each one of them. Without a word, I rip out their hearts, their warm blood dripping from my arm. I crush each one, and let the illusions turn to dust in the wind.

As I walk away, the light flickers out.

 

* * *

 

After a few minutes, I stalk back in the direction of the hotel. I don't know what fight they're on now, and I don't want to miss my own.

Even if I have nothing planned for after the exam, I don't want to go to jail for my parents' death. It's not like they could catch me, but still.

It doesn't take me long at all to get back. After my... explosion (that's what I'm gonna call it because I have no clue what it really was), I feel stronger, in a way. More capable. I don't know how that works, but it does.

I find myself running faster than I ever had before, effortlessly. I'm tempted to test my newfound speed but I don't, because I can see Netero approaching me. He's holding something in his hand.

"Mira-san," he greets me. I only nod in reply but he doesn't look discouraged.

"You are now a Hunter. This is your license," He says, handing me the thing in his hand. I glance at it to confirm that it's mine before putting it in my back pocket.

"Who killed who?" I ask in a quiet voice. I don't particularly care, but I don't want to raise suspicion by not asking.

"Killua killed an examiner," Netero tells me somberly.

"Illumi revealed himself?" I don't know why I ask, or even how I know. Some part of me whispers that Gittarackur was Illumi, Killua's brother, even though I had no clue.

But the fact that I had no clue... I must be losing my touch.

"Yes," Netero says, eyes widening slightly at my question. Yeah, think about how I feel, old man.

"What do you plan on doing now?" The chairman asks. I shrug.

"I want to get stronger. Any advice?"

A knowing glint forms in his eyes. "The Heavens Arena," he tells me. "You fight to earn money, each time with a stronger opponent. It sounds like your style."

My style? What does that mean?

"Killua has gone back to his family," Netero says after a slight pause. "Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika have followed him."

No emotions rise up at the mention of them, and I am glad. Feelings have never helped anyone anyway.

"Is that all?" I ask the chairman. He nods, and I am off.

 

* * *

 

I don't bother going back to my room at the hotel. I don't have any extra clothes or anything, so there's really no point.

I have to stop and ask directions to the Heavens Arena. One couple cooed at me as the girl said that A girl so young is not meant to fight. Her boyfriend agreed, but I really tried to be nice. And I succeeded, only giving them a tight smile before walking away.

It doesn't take me nearly as long to get there as I had expected, which is almost disappointing. I want a purpose for as long as possible, because I get bored too easily. Nothing good ever comes of when I'm bored.

So, when I walk into the Heavens Arena, a sense of relief washes over me. The lights, the loud talking, the flashing signs... it doesn't make sense that I would be comfortable in chaos, but I do.

It's so much easier to disappear when no one cares. You don't have to be anybody. You can just... exist.

I've just signed up for a fight (tomorrow) when I see a little boy and a man walking down the street. Something draws me towards them, so I follow (Zetsu already being activated. I'm not an idiot).

As I draw closer I notice a strong aura coming from the older man. He's masking some of it (rather well, might I add) but also making his power known. The younger boy looks more my age. His aura is young and inexperienced (I can always tell these things) but holds astonishing amounts of potential. Like, woah.

I slowly release just a fraction of my aura. The trick is getting them to notice me yet think I'm not a threat, and that I'm just young and stupid. I only like being underestimated when it's on my terms.

The man obviously notices me (I can tell by the way he stiffens up) and speaks quietly to the young boy. I can't hear what he said, but the boy replies with something that sounds almost like "Osu".

I decide to have a little fun with it, so I open my mind. Trying something new, I create a sort of illusion-itch on the boy's elbow. Don't ask me why I chose there. I just did.

Nothing happens, and I roll my eyes.

I push a little harder, resisting the urge to scratch my own elbow. I have to be very careful so that the older man doesn't notice me poking around, but after a few seconds, the boy reaches down.

And scratches his elbow.

I accidentally let out a whoop, and the boy whips around.

"Why are you following us?!" He accuses.

"Zushi!" The older man scolds, but then looks at me. "I would also like to know, though."

I study them as I pretend to think. The younger one (Zushi? Was that his name?) is an average sized boy with short brown hair, thick eyebrows, and big hazel eyes. He's wearing a black turtleneck under a karate gi with a red belt.

The older one has an average height and build. He's still taller than me, though most people are. He has black, unkempt hair, and is wearing glasses and a light pink shirt that is only partially tucked in, along with gray pants, and white shoes. 

"I was curious," I say in a small voice, making it quiver slightly. Good, Mira. Be innocent. "I hadn't seen someone my age around here so I wanted to know who you were. I'm sorry, please forgive me if I was being intrusive."

The older one's eyes soften as I bow and begin to walk away.

"Hey, what's your name?" He (the older one) asks me.

"Mira."

"Well, Mira, I'm Wing. Why are you here?"

I look up at Wing. He's so tall...

"I just wanted to become stronger," I say weakly. "But I don't have anyone to train me..."

"I can do it," Wing says. Zushi remains silent, eyes blazing. I'm assuming that this is their plan, to follow that whole "keep your enemy closer" saying. I really do need training, so I figure I might as well agree. Even if Wing fails as a sensei, I can always practice my Nen ability on Zetsu.

And maybe, just maybe, I can finally find a name for it.

 

* * *

 

Wing and Zushi take me back to a building. It's pretty obvious I already know about Nen so they don't bother explaining.

The trouble for me is going to be having to find a way to be trained at my level while still seeming weak. I take a deep breath as Wing begins to speak, seemingly wanting to start teaching me as soon as possible.

"In order to fully grasp Nen, one must first learn the four major principles," Wing tells me. "Do you know what they are?"

"Sort of..." I mutter. I'm lying. The scientists at Asylum were very thorough with their education.

"The four major principles, in order of study, are: Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu," Wing says. "Ten: Focus the mind, reflect upon the self and determine the goal. Zetsu: Put it into words. Ren: Intensify your will. Hatsu: Put it to action."

"Um... that doesn't sound right," I say. What is he trying to do?

"Who is the teacher here?" Wing snaps. I hold back a glare.

"I'm not an idiot," I tell him angrily. "Please don't treat me like one."

My new sensei hesitates for a second, then nods. "Fine. What do you know?"

I cringe slightly, some memories coming back. "Long or short answer?"

Zushi decides to pipe in. "Long," He says, obviously wanting to see me fail. What does this kid have against me?

I look at Wing for the okay, and when he nods, I begin my speech (making it as monotone and boring as possible, because that's just how I roll).

"The four principles are Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu. At least that part wasn't completely condescending. Once a person has had their aura nodes opened, they must learn to keep their aura from leaking away from their body. Ten is the process of keeping the nodes open, but also having aura flow through and around the body rather than away from it. Once maintained, it creates a shroud around the user that feels similar to standing in lukewarm, viscous fluid. It's the most basic defense against Nen attacks, however, it can't defend against physical attacks. Ten maintains youthful vigor and reduces one's aging, since the energy powering the body no longer leaks away; one can keep the body from breaking down and deter the aging process. Through frequent meditation, one can improve the quality of their Ten." I blink my eyes, having to actively try to stay awake.

I was repeating this directly from a textbook we were given at Asylum. They would come into our rooms at random times and make us recite the pages. If we missed even one word, we had to skip our next meal. I got really good at remembering passages of text.

"While Ten allows a user to keep aura from leaking away from their body, Zetsu stops the flow of aura from their body altogether. By closing all of their aura nodes, the user is able to stop almost all outflow of their aura like water from a valve. Since the user is no longer surrounded by their own aura, they are more sensitive to the aura of others. This can be useful when tracking another person and it will also prevent other users of Nen from noticing them. Zetsu can also be used to relieve fatigue, since it forces the body's external layer of aura to be fully contained within. However, since Zetsu involves shutting off one's aura, it can be dangerous due to it leaving the body defenseless against any aura attack. Even a weak attack enhanced with Nen could do massive damage." I take a deep breath and smile at both my new sensei's and Zushi's shocked looks.

I never thought that something I learned in Asylum could turn out to be almost... fun?

"Ren is a direct application of Ten," I continue. "Since a user is capable of keeping aura from leaking away from the body, it's also possible for them to produce more aura around themselves without having to worry about losing it. Ren focuses on outputting a high amount of aura and keeping it on the body, expanding the size and intensity of it. If Ten is considered to be purely defensive, then Ren typically what is used for offense. This increases the user's physical strength and durability and provides a large pool of aura for any advanced techniques or individual skills they decide to use."

I yawn (I really haven't slept in a while, have I?) before continuing.

"Hatsu is the release or transmission of one's aura so it can be projected to carry out a certain function. In essence, Hatsu is one's personal expression of Nen that creates a special and unique paranormal ability, which is colloquially called a "Nen ability", "Hatsu ability" or "Hatsu". When used in this sense, "Hatsu" is a very generic term. In its original formulation, it signifies a manifestation of one's Nen that cannot be ascribed to any of the basic or advanced techniques. This definition implies that an Enhancement Hatsu ability is impossible. In its common usage, however, a Nen ability is any application of aura that the user regards as a special ability. A good Hatsu ability reflects a person's own character; one can never truly master Nen if they only copy other people's abilities. After learning the basics, any skilled user of Nen will learn to utilize a number of advanced techniques. Most of them are achieved by using a combination of the basics. Most Nen users learn Ten, Zetsu, and Ren first before attempting these techniques. The Hatsu, being a Nen-user's individual skill, is often something that a Nen-user will develop gradually over a long period of time."

"And yes, I repeated that from an old textbook."

The two guys stare at me in awe, and I giggle.

"Um... okay..." Wing says. "What Nen type are you?"

I shrug. "Dunno, never was allowed to test it."

Wing looks at me strangely for my reply, but says nothing. Zushi, without even having to be asked, left to go get a glass of water.

"Do you have a special ability?" My new sensei asks.

"No," I lie. "I'm only twelve. I'm know about Nen, but I'm terrible at using it. That's why I needed someone to train me."

Wing nods, just as Zushi sets the water in front of me.

"You activate Ren while – " Wing begins to explain, but I've already started. I look at the glass intently. I don't see anything, but Zushi gasps.

"It... it turned blue!" The young boy yells. "You're an Emitter."

Wing looks at me curiously. "I see red," He says. "Does that mean that you're an Emitter or a Specialist? What do you see?"

"Um, nothing," I tell him quietly. "It looks normal."

Wing reaches out and runs his finger along the rim of the glass, before dipping his finger inside. He recoils almost immediately.

"It's freezing!" He shouts, surprised. So then of course Zushi has to try.

"No, it's burning!" Zushi shouts equally as loud. I just sit in silence.

So blue burns and red freezes, huh? What did they do to me?

 

* * *

 

Not much happened after my weird water test. Zushi kept looking at me oddly and Wing just wouldn't speak, so I left, saying that I would catch up to them tomorrow.

I decide not to rent a room in the Heavens Arena, and just find a place somewhere in the city instead. I figure that it would help me find my way around better if something happened to pop up (which is code for 'in case I screw something up and have to run').

I find a small hotel that is reasonably cheap, and manage to convince the hotel owner to let me pay after I receive some fight money. It's no more than a few blocks from the Heavens arena, and I'm surprised it's as empty as it is.

Of course, I'm assuming there's some sort of undercover (most likely illegal) operation using my hotel as its base, which would explain the lack of people. I don't really care, because it's still somewhere to stay (and I'm too paranoid for the Heavens Arena rooms). Like, seriously, your competition could sneak up on you and kill you while you're sleeping. Locked doors don't do much to protect people.

Hence the separate hotel.

I turn in for the night, barricading the door with random furniture I find laying around the room. It won't help if someone's trying to get in, but it'll wake me up (and, if someone comes in my room while I'm away, I'll be able to tell). I figure that I can just leave through the window, as long as no one sees me. Yeah, I'm not the best when it comes to trusting people.

I'm too pessimistic for that nonsense.

I don't sleep much that night, although I don't know why. I doubt it's anticipation for my upcoming fight, considering, well, I'm me. But who knows, maybe it's some divine force telling me that I'm too cocky.

Ha. Apparently I'm an idiot when I'm tired. Divine force – I snort at the thought and roll over in my bed, closing my eyes and eagerly awaiting the morning.  

 

* * *

 

"And our next fight..." The announcer says, "Mira-san versus Sota-san."

When I walk up to the arena area (I don't know what to call it), a balding fat man that looks uncannily like Tonpa faces me. The announcer says all of the rules, officially clearing us to fight.

"Ha, I'm meant to fight a little girl?" He calls out to the crowd. "You better make your bets now, because I am definitely going to win."

I scoff quietly. "You remind me of someone," I tell him with a bored expression on my face. "A man whose skills were so limited that all he was capable of was tricking children to further himself."

"Oh, the little girl can use big words," The man spits from across the room. I mentally roll my eyes – big words? You call those big words?

"This little girl is also going to enjoy kicking your ass," I mutter, but somebody in the audience hears me and laughs.

"What?!" My opponent growls. "Are you mocking me? Get over here and fight me like a man!"

I laugh, shaking my head. "I thought I was a little girl? Please, consistency. I'm too... small minded to have to think for myself."

I can see the man's face grow red, and I wait patiently. It isn't but a second until he lunges at me, leaving his entire torso open. I don't even go for the obvious hit, simply sidestepping and sticking my foot out at just the right time.

The man trips, making a complete fool of himself.

"Whoopsies," I say in a baby voice. "The wittle girl didn't mean to hurt you."

Steam comes out from his ears as he charges at me again. And again, I just sidestep and trip him. I'm growing bored, however, so faster than anyone can see I deliver a swift chop to the back of his neck. My opponent is out cold before he even hits the floor.

"And the winner is... Mira!"

 

* * *

 

I get sent to the 50th floor, and I schedule my next fight for tomorrow. For some reason the lady wouldn't let me do several fights in one day, and my age didn't exactly help my case. 

I wander around the town for a while before making my way back to where Wing is staying. I don't know if it's permanent or temporary (his living space) but I'm not about to ask. I'm not one to push boundaries.

He just has me meditate and practice my Ten. Whenever he's not looking, I activate Ken and keep it going for as long as possible. Ken is the advanced version of Ren and Ten, where I need to maintain a state of Ko over my entire body. In theory, it allows me to defend against attacks from any direction without the need to use Ryu, but it tends to be tiring to maintain.

In simpler terms, it's a defensive technique that's hard to do. I really want to practice just my Ko (concentrating all of my aura into one particular body part) but it creates an annoying noise that either Wing or Zushi would definitely notice. So, no thank you.

Still, I'm getting pretty good at just the Ken, and so far my new sensei hasn't noticed. Which I don't fully understand, because surely random spikes in aura would be cause for questioning. But hey, I'll take what I can get. And if what I can get is being able to use Ken without an issue, who am I to complain?

After a while I feel like I've mastered everything I can while being supervised, so I tell Wing that I'm going to bed early. He responds with a noncommittal grunt, and I leave.

On the way back to my hotel I hear a girl scream. I immediately run to where it came from, which is behind some random building. Two men are pinning a young woman against a wall.

"Not cool, guys," I say boredly (I don't think that's a word but it is now), walking towards them.

"Shut up, or you'll be next," One of them tells me as I come closer.

"Shiomi, come on, let's just go," Another guy says to the original speaker.

"Kudo, we can't just go!" Shiomi whispers loudly.

"But we can't take 'em both," Kudo replies in an equally loud whisper.

Shiomi, the guy who first spoke, rolls his eyes and pulls out a gun, pointing it straight at me.

"Give me any money you have on you and I'll let you go," he says. The girl whimpers, still pushed up against the wall.

"I'll d-don't have anything, j-just please let m-me go," She says quietly.

I nod at her. "I got you covered. How much do you want?" I ask the two guys.

"Everything," Kudo immediately says. I can practically feel the greed seeping out of him.

"Okay, just let her go," I say. The girl is shoved towards me, stumbling slightly. I look her over, checking for any wounds. I find none.

Sweet. That will make this a lot better on my conscience.

Without even really thinking about it, I grab the girl from behind and pull her in front of me, unsheathing one of my hidden daggers and placing it against her throat. The two guys look surprised.

"Now," I tell them, "You get to apologize for thinking I'm an idiot."

"W-what?" Shiomi stutters. "Why would you kill her?"

I glare at him, when really I'm congratulating him on a valiant effort. "Because she's in on it and this is a makeshift robbery. Shoddy job, in my opinion. I'm a much bigger fan of the whole grab-the-bag-and-run thing, but mostly because you get to yell 'catch that thief'."

"How did you know?" Kudo asks me, looking genuinely interested.

"The whole thing was off," I say. "One, the scream. It was too convenient. I'm assuming one of you was watching for people to pass and when someone came along, you had some sort of signal. And the whole stage-whisper thing was stupid."

"Told you," Kudo mutters, and I continue.

"And, when the chick said she didn't have anything? With this fancy dress and the hair all done up? Yeah, that just screams I have money, yet you guys didn't even question it. And then trying to get the money without seeing it? Either the girl was in on it or you were just that stupid. And while the latter may still be true, I would love to hold on to my faith in humanity."

"We're that bad?" Shiomi asks sheepishly.

"Yeah," I say. "But hey, better luck next time."

"Are you fighting at the Heavens Arena or just watching?" Kudo asks me.

"Fighting," I answer. "Nice observation." I pull my dagger away from the girl's neck and push her to her partners-in-crime. They catch her as she stumbles.

"Shiomi here is too," Kudo says proudly, only to be smacked by the girl.

"Ow, Korusa!" He yelps, inadvertently giving me the girl's name.

"You weren't supposed to tell anyone," She hisses at him.

"It's fine," Shiomi tells her. Then to me, he says, "Nice meeting you."

"You too, Shiomi, Kudo, Korusa," I reply, nodding to each one of them in turn.

"H-how did you..." Kudo choked as Korusa pulled him away. Obviously he didn't realize how many times they say each other's names.

I walk back to my hotel feeling satisfied, and content with the knowledge that I will take to my grave.

I really only knew the girl was in on it because I had seen them in the Heavens Arena eating together... I'm not that smart.

 

* * *

 

My second competition approaches fast. I scheduled it in the morning in the hopes that I could weasel into getting two fights today. Probably not, but a girl can hope.

I take too long in the shower, though, so I have to jog to the Heavens Arena. I see Zushi walking around and I wave, but he ignores me. What does this kid have against me?

I hear the intercom crackle to life. "Itami Roka versus Mira!"

I turn, ready to jog into the Arena, when I bump into a young girl. She looks around my age, with purple hair and light grey eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't see you," I say quickly, getting back to my feet. Of course, I was the one that fell down.

"It was my fault," She says while shaking your head. "I'm in a hurry and I didn't look where I was going."

I just shrug. "It's fine. Where are you going?"

"I'm Roka. It's my fight next."

Oh. Oh.

I immediately look at her with newfound respect. She's my age, yet she made it here. Yet, I suppose I did too, so...

"I'm Mira, your opponent," I tell her. She looks up in surprise.

"But you're so..." Roka trails off.

"Young?" I finish. "Yeah, I know. I had the same thought about you."

She looks slightly irritated. "I'm sixteen. I don't know why people always think I'm young. Am I really that short?"

"Yes," I say bluntly. "Now we should probably get going, before we miss our fight." During the duration of our conversation, our names were repeated several times. I don't want to be that person.

Roka and I walk in together, then assume our positions. She looks relaxed, so I mimic her. Just as last time, the announcer says all of the rules (the point system confuses me more than it should) before telling us that we can actually start.

Roka briefly studies me, looking for a weakness. I can't help but wonder what she sees. Am I just a child, a girl out of her element? Or would I seem older than I am? I suddenly don't want to know.

Apparently Roka decides that she wants me to make the first move, because she looks at me expectantly. I don't bother.

"So, what's your favorite color?" I ask her randomly. If neither one of us are going to move, I might as well make it interesting.

"Green," Roka replies. "I've always liked the forest, you know?"

I nod. "I'm a fan of blue, myself. But more of a blue-grey, if that makes sense."

"Any reason?"

I nod. "It's the color eyes of someone I know."

"Oh? Is this someone... special?"

I imagine Killua's face, his playful eyes, his rare smile. "No, no one special. Now, are we going to fight?"

Roka senses the change in subject, but doesn't say anything. "I don't know. Are we?"

"Well, they're getting impatient," I say, motioning towards the crowd. "Should we make the wait worth it?"

Roka shrugs. "Sure, if you can keep up."

She seems to disappear, and I pretend to be confused. I can sense her right behind me, but she isn't moving. I turn around and sure enough, she's just standing there. I make my eyes widen and gasp a little – I have to make this convincing.

Something hits me, hard, on my back. I fly forward, twisting in midair to see Roka smiling, standing in her original position.

There was a delay, I realize. She's using Nen somehow, because I could still see her when she kicked me.

I land on my feet but still skid back a little. She put an incredible force into her kick, and I didn't have time to use my Nen. I stand up slowly, wincing at the sharp pain that reverberates down my spine.

I shake my head to clear it, then face Roka head-on. "How did you move so fast?" I ask her shyly. She doesn't respond, and I shrug. "Fine then, keep your secret."

Irritation flickers across her face, though I don't know why. I take a step back, anticipating her next attack, when I bump into someone. I spin around and see Roka standing there, with a triumphant smile on her face. Her hand twitches and I jump out of the way, her fist left swinging wildly.

Man, that would have hurt. She was going straight for the stomach.

"You will never be able to beat me," Roka sneers, but I can tell it's forced. Something is holding her back... I just don't know what.

"And why is that?" I prod. I might as well see what I can get out of her.

"Because no one will be able to stand against my attack."

 

* * *

 

I blink, and that is all it takes for Roka to make her move. She mutters something and her hands form symbols quicker than I can decipher, and multiple versions of her appear around the room.  There's definitely more than twenty, but I've always been bad with numbers.   

I can't tell the difference – they all look the same, and they are surrounding me.  I've never seen anything like this before, and I don't like it. 

I can't tell which one is really her, either. 

One of them kicks me in the back and I stumble forward, quickly regaining my footing.  I open my mind out of instinct, knowing that Roka is most definitely not an easy opponent. 

Three of her copies (I think, one might be the real her) lunge at me simultaneously.  Thankfully I'm able to sense that they're coming, but I don't want to lose the element of surprise.   Right as they are about to make contact, I shield myself with my Nen and pretend to fall backwards.  All of them collide, and I make sure that I look surprised. 

We continue like this for a few minutes.  I let myself get hit a couple of times (I'm surrounded by Nen so it doesn't hurt) and I feign pain.  I start to slow down, stumbling around the arena.  She seems to fall for it. 

"See?  This is what happens when you get cocky," One of the Roka's spits.  "Just because you're younger than everyone doesn't mean you're better, brat."

I fall to the ground as one of her stomps of my chest.  I immediately conjure an illusion and "cough up blood", when really I'm standing silently in the corner.  I make sure that everyone only sees my illusion-self, who is currently laying on the ground gasping. 

I still don't know which one is the real Roka, but an idea comes to mind.  I close my eyes, paying close attention to illusion-me (who is currently being beaten up by several Roka's).  I carefully let my mind reach out. 

Before I continue, maybe I should explain a little about my Nen ability (although even I don't know everything).  I'm best at creating illusions, which I can subject anyone to.  That's more of a pushing, because I am creating something and forcing it onto someone. 

I can also put thoughts and feelings into people's minds.  This depends on the mental fortitude of the person, because it requires much more effort than illusions do.  It's more of a stabbing or a jabbing.  I consider this part of my ability to be on the offensive side of things. 

And then there's the sensing thing that I can do, which helps me assess my opponent.  I consider this more defensive, even though it can be used on the offence.  The sensing is like an all-encompassing knowing, where I mentally reach out and poke around another's subconscious.  I know it sounds weird, but that's just how it seems to work. 

Okay, back on track.  I reach out, trying to determine (sense) the real Roka.  It takes a second, but one aura seems slightly more developed than the rest.  I assume that one is her, and I quietly position myself behind it. 

Once I feel satisfied with my position, I take a small dagger out of it's sheath on my hip.  I always have some sort of weapon on me, although small daggers and knives are the best when I need them hidden. 

I place it's blade at Roka's throat, then release my illusion.  To everyone else, I disappeared into thin air.  Roka (the one in front of me, at least) begins to move forward, but quickly realizes that I'm behind her.  

"I wouldn't move if I were you," I say lowly.  I can hear her gulp as I continue, telling her, "I would also drop the clones."

At this point I'm really hoping that I caught the right one.  Otherwise, that would be embarrassing.

"How...?"  Roka whispers.  I tighten my hold around her.  The dagger digs slightly into her throat. 

She gets the point, and drops the clones. 

Good, I was worried there for a moment.  I hate looking stupid.

"I'm not a fan of the whole tell-your-opponent-all-of-your-secrets thing," I say.  Roka goes to nod, then seems to realize that the dagger is still in place.  "Forfeit, or I will slit your throat here and now."

"You wouldn't," Roka tells me decisively.  "You may be able to fight, but you're no killer."

My stomach knots in anger.  I quickly push it down, not wanting to lose control. 

"Are you willing to test that theory?"  I whisper in her ear.  The crowd is dead silent. 

"I know you wouldn't," She replies slightly unevenly. 

"You hope," I correct.  "Forfeit?  Or am I going to have to wash my blade off tonight?"

Roka is quiet for a moment.  "You won't kill me," She says stubbornly.  I roll my eyes. 

"Cleaning my blade it is, then," I say in an amused voice.  I can feel her heart rate rise. 

I don't want to deal with the blood, though, because it is rather annoying to clean up. 

I press my dagger slightly into her throat before creating another illusion, this one of pain.  I make her feel the metal sliding into her skin, the slight burn that magnifies itself exponentially.  None of the crowd can see it, of course, because that would require two illusions at once, and pain is especially difficult to fabricate. 

I can feel Roka's breath hitch, and I make her feel as if her life is fading away from her.  I also give her a sense of urgency, which pushes her over the edge. 

"I forfeit!"  She yells, and I remove the blade.  Roka's hand lift's to her throat as I step away, grinning. 

She looks at me in terror, obviously realizing that I somehow tricked her.  The small scratch I actually gave her wasn't near enough to cause the level of pain that she felt... I can see the exact moment that Roka realizes this, and it makes me oddly happy to see her back away in fear. 

"W-who are you?"  She asks me quietly.  "H-how..."

"My name is Mira," I said so that only she could hear. "I am twelve years old, and I have been told that I am a monster.  Nice to meet you, Roka-chan."

And with that being said, I left. 

 

* * *

 

After my fight with Roka, I feel tremendously tired.  Like, oddly so.  I go to my hotel but can't fall asleep (as expected), so I just walk around the city. 

I don't know what to do.  I know I'm not far in the Heavens Arena, but I'm starting to get... bored.  Is that bad?

I wander around a little before opening my mind.  I don't really know what I'm looking for as I scan through the crowds of people.  Their thoughts begin to trickle in, and I quickly push them out. 

I smile as I sense a familiar aura.  Black and full of bloodlust... Hisoka.   I decide to follow him, because at this point, why not?

He leads me to a train and I frown.   How far is he going?  I didn't schedule a fight, but I don't want to be gone too long.  I don't remember how long the waiting period is...

Hisoka gets on and I can feel him looking back at me, waiting.  He knows I'm here, not that I expected any less. 

"Are you coming?"  I see him mouth to me.  I ponder for a second, then run onto the train just as it begins to move. 

"Hey," I greet, standing by the magician. 

"Hello, Mira," He replies smoothly.  "We're going to Yorknew City, in case you didn't already know."

"Oh.  Thanks.  What's in Yorknew?"

Hisoka seems thoughtful, as if he doesn't know whether to tell me or not.  Finally, he says "I'm meeting a few acquaintances before Gon and Killua arrive at the Heavens Arena."

I look at him suspiciously.  "What do you mean, Gon and Killua?"

"Oh, they're coming to gather funds and train," Hisoka says. 

"How do you know?" I ask him, and he shrugs. 

"People tell me things," He says simply, and we are quiet. 

After a few minutes, I decide to break the silence.  "So, who are these acquaintances of yours?"

"You wouldn't know them,"  He says decisively. 

"How would you know?  I get around, too, Mr. Mysterious."

"You wouldn't know them," He repeats, and I sulk for a second. 

"Will you introduce me?"  I ask. 

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Why not?"  I whine, purposely being irritating. 

"Because they're dangerous."

"But how am I supposed to ever be able to fight you if I don't know how to work around dangerous people?"

Hisoka is silent for a moment, then says, "Fine.  I'll introduce you.  You have to keep it quiet, though."

"Yeah, yeah," I say, and we don't talk for the rest of the ride. 

 

* * *

 

We get off and walk for a while, finally reaching an abandoned building.  Hisoka motions for me to be quiet as we walk in.

We enter a large room.  It has several huge windows halfway covered by ripped fabric and rubble is everywhere.  I shiver slightly - I hate uncleanliness - and look at the people standing around the room.

"Calm," Hisoka says as one them growls.  "She's safe."

"Who is she?"  The same guy growls.

"Mira," I say loudly, my voice echoing off of the walls.  "And you are?"

The man looks at Hisoka warily, then says, "Uvogin."

I nod and look at Hisoka pointedly.  He glares slightly, but says, "Everyone, this is Mira. Mira, meet Feitan, Kortopi, Phinks, Shizuku, Shalnark, Pakunoda, Nobunaga, and Machi."

"What about him?" I ask, pointing to a man with a cross tattoo on his forehead. 

"Chrollo Lucilfer," The man introduces himself with a certain smugness.  Then he looks at Hisoka and asks, "Why have you brought her here?"

"I wanted to come.  Who was the guy outside?"  I ask.  Everyone looks at me with shock, then with wariness.

"That would be Bonolenov.  How did you know he was there?"  Chrollo asks me, and I shrug. 

"He was making it obvious," I smiled slightly.  He wasn't really, I just had my mind open (and I can sense everyone, regardless of how well they're hidden). 

"Now," I said, rubbing my hands together.  "What is the infamous Phantom Troupe doing in Yorknew City?"

 

* * *

 

"And who are you to ask that?"  Uvogin sneers at me.

"As we have already established, my name is Mira.  And I don't think you need to know anything else."

"Why you little - " Uvogin begins, lunging at me. 

"Uvo.  Stop," Chrollo commands.  Oh, the leader, are you?

"Mira," Chrollo starts in a condescending voice that I immediately hate, "tell us why you're here and who you really are."

I roll my eyes.  "I'm here because I was following Hisoka.  I was following Hisoka because I was bored.  Don't freak, I won't tell anyone about your little hideaway."

Or your plan, I think to myself (I make a very intimidating person when everything is only in my mind).  Of course, I've already gone through half of the Phantom Troupe's head, though I'm saving Chrollo for last.  He seems like the type of person to notice these things, and I want to get as much information as possible. 

Not for any particular reason.  I just like to know what's going on. 

"How old are you?"   A man I recognize as Feitan asks me. 

"How old do you think I am?"

"16?"  He says hesitantly.  Hisoka smiles. 

"You're four years off," the magician tells Feitan. 

"You're 20?!"  Pakunoda exclaims. 

"She's 12," Chrollo tells her softly.  He has such a cool sounding voice...

"Hisoka!  You let a 12-year-old follow you here?"  Pakunoda sounds surprised, but Feitan only looks at me blankly.  Uvogin is grumbling to himself in the corner and everyone else is silent. 

"She is worthy," Hisoka says in a perverted voice, and Chrollo looks at me with an undecipherable emotion.

I don't like it. 

I close my mind, throwing up walls as fast as I can mentally build them.  I have all of the information I need, and Chrollo is making me nervous (even if I like his voice). 

I start to turn around.  "Okay, I'll just be going now - "

Uvogin grabs my arm roughly.  "Where are you going, brat?"

Everything seems to freeze around me.  I can feel my heart pounding and everything seems to become a shade brighter, my vision slightly tinted red. 

"Don't touch me," I growl, ripping my arm out of his grasp.  He looks shocked for a moment, then grabs my arm once more.

"Oh?"  Uvo asks in a condescending tone.  "And what are you going to do about it?"

I glare at him and I can see him shiver slightly, but it is gone as quickly as it comes.  "Don't.  Touch.  Me."

"Ha.  Brat thinks she can control what I do,"  He sneers.  "I am the strongest member of the Troupe!  Do not test me!"

"Strongest member, yes?"  I whisper, looking up at him.  I cannot think, cannot feel -  my body feels like it's on autopilot.  I sense Chrollo coming closer, but I ignore him.  "Then you should be able to let. Go. Of. Me."

"What, the little girl doesn't like to be touched?"  Uvo asks haughtily, and even Hisoka winces slightly.

Chrollo is only a few feet away from me, but he seems to be waiting until I make my move.  I didn't get to snoop around in his head but I learned enough from the rest of the Troupe's - so I know what not to do. 

I can not let Chrollo fulfill the conditions of his Nen ability. 

I open my mind (ignoring Uvogin's hand on my arm, which is growing tighter by the second) and create an illusion that only I can feel, one where I cannot speak.  Well, it's not really an illusion.  I basically cut off access to my vocal chords (so Chrollo doesn't steal my ability), because I can not let the Phantom Troupe gain access to my power. 

I don't even want to think about what would happen... so yeah, no talking for me.

Without thinking of the consequences of my actions, I force myself into Uvogin's mind, weaving pain into every part of his body.  To him, it feels like I've just instantaneously broken every single one of his bones. 

Uvogin screams, ripping himself away from me. 

I don't let go, intensifying the pain as much as I can.  His screams get louder. 

Chrollo walks towards me, face even as he murmurs something.  Out of the corner of my eye, I see something that looks suspiciously like a skeleton fish swimming around the room. 

I dismiss the thought.  I must be hallucinating - it happens sometimes. 

It comes closer to me but I still don't let go of Uvogin's mind.  Instead, I reach out even farther and create a sort of communal illusion of darkness, excluding only myself. 

To them, the room has been plunged into the shadows.  To me, it is even brighter than it was before. 

I can hear Chrollo gasp.  "Is this your ability?"  He asks me.  I start to respond but nothing comes out - then I remember the conditions, and that I blocked access to my vocal chords. 

Good thing I thought of that beforehand. 

Hisoka is coming up behind me, probably sensing my Nen.  I quickly go into In, to hide my aura, but I can feel Chrollo active En.  I shake my head slowly, desperately thinking. 

He knows where I am.  What do I do?

Can I kill them all?

No.  I don't think I'm that powerful. 

Can I escape?

Maybe. 

Do I want to?

No. 

Is it smart?

I don't know. 

I shake my head again.  The Troupe is utterly silent (save for Uvogin's screams), but I can see them advancing from all sides.  I can't keep track of them all at once.

What have I done?

Come on, Mira.  You can think your way out of this.  You always do. 

I take a deep breath and let go of Uvo's mind.  The silence is worse than the screaming. 

Feitan is right behind me.  Without thought, I jump onto the roof and stay there for a moment. 

Then, as if I flicked a light switch, I know what to do. 

After all, the end had begun.

 

* * *

 

I drop down from the roof, forcing my way into everyone's mind. I make them all feel pain similar to Uvogin's, excluding only Chrollo and Hisoka. The fish things begin screeching, and I wince, feeling slightly guilty.

I know what the pain feels like. Since I can't carry an illusion that long over that many people, they are experiencing a part of a memory. I push it out of my thoughts. I can't let myself get distracted.

"Stop whatever you are doing," Chrollo commands me. I ignore him and create an illusion, intended solely for him.

The Troupe is laying on the ground. The screams have died down, and everything is eerily silent. They are all dead. Blood stains the stone on the floor as the pools slowly grow.

I don't get the response I was hoping for. Instead of pausing, Chrollo only looks at me with hate-filled eyes.

His hands move to form strange signs and a bright white light envelopes me.  I strike out wildly but I can't seem to mentally grab onto anything.  Even my hold over the rest of the Troupe begins to slip. 

"I gained this power from an associate of mine," Chrollo tells me.  "You wouldn't know him, he lives in another dimension.  But with this power... it allows me to travel between dimensions and, as it so happens, force travel."

The white light only grows brighter. 

"I know what you showed me was an illusion, Mira," the leader of the Phantom Troupe tells me.  "But I don't want to risk anything.  So, I think I'll send you to that friend of mine."

I look at Chrollo, alarmed.  He smirks. 

I completely lose my grip on the Troupe, and their screams stop.  The memory, though... it is fresh in my mind, and somehow, Chrollo forces it upon me. 

 

* * *

 

_I could hear the screams piercing the darkness. They were steadily getting closer, a different person every time. The scientists were making their rounds, visiting each person's cell and driving them to the brink of insanity. Whatever it took._

_Aruki was long gone. I was eleven, I think. I could never really remember the difference between days anymore, ever since they stopped feeding me regular meals._

_The screaming in the cell next to mine begins. The scientists liked it when we heard, because it "increased" the anticipation, and therefore the effect._

_What would it be this time, I wondered. They've done everything to break me, and so far, nothing has really worked. So that means this time will most definitely be the worst._

_The screaming died down and I tensed. Their footsteps echoed in the hall, pausing as they unlocked the door to my cell. I didn't make eye contact – just as they liked._

_It started with the beatings, as usual. They didn't hurt as much as they should have – I guess at some point, the pain is too great to care._

_Then the welding iron. This one always got to me more than the rest, for some reason._

_Then came the whip, always after my skin had blistered and broken. Maximum stress, they would always say amongst themselves. Create as much as possible._

_They brought in ice water to submerge me. It was so cold that it burned, but it was better than the usual boiling water._

_Then the process was repeated, until my voice gave out._

_._

_"This isn't working," I could hear one of them say. Deep voice – male._

_"She's a stubborn one," another one replied as he readied the iron. This one was also male. "I don't know why they haven't gotten rid of her yet."_

_"I heard that they're going to soon," the first one said. "But who am I to know?"_

_I could feel the second man smile. "Well, why don't we have some fun with her before then?"_

_._

_I woke up with my body screaming. A strange part of me was sore – it was like my stomach, but not. I dismissed the thought, trying not to move._

_._

_I knew what they had done to me._

_How could they?_

_I was outraged._

_I didn't even have to think about what I was doing next._

_Within hours, they were all dead._

 

* * *

 

I know Chrollo's seen my memory by the look on his face. 

"I'm sorry for what happened to you," He begins, pity in his eyes.  Then his face hardens.  "But I can not stop what happens next.  Tell Orochimaru "hello" for me."

The light surrounds me, and I let go. 

**Author's Note:**

> told you I was more of a Naruto person
> 
> sorry not sorry


End file.
